Neighbors rescue boys after fall into icy South Jersey pond

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Gloucester) — An observant neighbor helped rescue four boys who fell though thin ice on Sunday.

Five boys age 10 to 15 were playing on the ice around 5 p.m. in pond behind Lisa Tan's house. Tan told 6 ABC Action News she looked out the window and saw four of them had fallen through. She ran to help them and was joined by several neighbors before police arrived, she told 6 ABC Action News.

The Washington Township Fire Department said the incident serves as a reminder that despite recent cold weather the ice is not safe and asked parents to talk to them about playing on frozen bodies of water.

"It has to be really cold for a long time, for ice to be thick and solid enough to walk on. Yes, it has been frigid lately. But we've seen at least a few hours of above-freezing temperatures for all but two days in February so far. And that's enough to raise thin ice concerns," New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said.

The fire department noted that it was the 26th anniversary recently of an incident on Washington Lake where three children and a man fell through the ice. The adult was the “would be rescuer” who nearly drowned in attempts to save the kids.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ