A venture onto a frozen Douglaston bay turned dangerous on Valentine’s Day when two teenagers got stuck on the cracking ice and had to be rescued by the fire department.
Ladder Company 164 and Engine Company 313 responded to the stranded pair around 5 p.m. Saturday, when they found them near Bay and 223rd streets about 300 to 400 feet from the Little Neck Bay shoreline, fire officials said.
When they arrived, FDNY members witnessed one of the teens, believed to be a boy, fall into the icy water and be pulled out by the other person.
Mary Marino, who lives right on the bay, saw the emergency vehicles and ran out to see what was happening.
“The water started rising up and the ice started cracking,” she said.
Marino then grabbed her phone and filmed the speedy rescue.
The teens, a boy and a girl, managed to make it closer to the shore, but were still stuck on the weakening ice, she said. The video shows the first responders placing a ladder across the ice so the two could crawl across it to shore, while some rescuers were in the water in insulated suits to hold the ladder steady.
“They did an excellent job — it was fast,” Marino, said, adding that the entire rescue took about 10 to 15 minutes.
One of the teenagers was taken to Long Island Jewish Medical Center for treatment due to exposure to the water.
Marino, who has lived near the bay for 40 years, said it’s very rare for someone to get stuck on the ice, but decided to post her video of the rescue online to make sure no one else gets stranded on the body of water again.
“You can’t walk on this ice because it’s dangerous,” Marino said.
“They didn’t realize the tide gets high,” she added.
Earlier this month, the FDNY and Parks Department held a press conference on the dangers of walking on frozen waters in city parks.
“This winter we have seen incidents in Central Park, in the Bronx and [on Saturday] in Queens where, if not for the quick response and brave work of FDNY members in frigid, icy waters, New Yorkers may have lost their lives,” said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro in a statement. “Venturing onto the ice of New York City’s rivers and waterways is dangerous. I urge all New Yorkers to stay off the ice for their safety, and for the safety of all FDNY members who respond to these emergencies.”
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