Sad: 11 Year Old Boy Dies Saving His Friend From Frozen Pond
This kid died as a true hero.
It's a shame that his family has to go through all of this...
The aunt of a heroic 11-year-old boy who lost his life after plucking his friendfrom a frozen Queens pond says the tragedy has devastated their family.
Anthony Perez never managed to make it out of the frigid waters at Strack Pond in Forest Park after rescuing his 12-year-old pal Tuesday afternoon.
“We’re in shock, we’re numb, devastated,” said Perez’s aunt Ida Centineo, holding back tears.
“I have to watch my brother bury his only child. I feel like I can't breathe.”
“He reminds me of my brother,” she added, referring to young Anthony.
“Because my brother would’ve been the first one to jump in as well. See, he was just like his father.”
The nightmarish episode was set in motion when Anthony’s pal walked out on the frozen-over pond, ignoring a sign that warned of “Danger Thin Ice.”
The ice gave way, sending the boy into the water.
Anthony, who was standing on the edge of the pond, rushed over in time to save his pal only to end up unable to get back out himself.
The friend sprinted to his nearby apartment to get help. The 911 call came in at 4:05 p.m. and first-responders arrived four minutes later, authorities said.
But by then, Anthony had been submerged for roughly 30 minutes, sources said.
Three cops and three firefighters waded through chest-deep water, chopping through the ice with their hands, to reach Anthony.
They found him not breathing under a break in the ice. The unresponsive boy was rushed to Jamaica Medical Center where he died roughly two hours later, cops said. -(Chelsia Rose Marcius, Adam Shrier, Rich Schapiro, NY Daily News)