New Jersey firefighters rescue deer that fell into frozen pond

SOUTH AMBOY, N.J., Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Firefighters in New Jersey donned protective suits to wade out into a partially frozen pond and rescue a deer that had fallen through the ice.

The Sayreville Fire Department said its firefighters responded Friday evening along with the Melrose Hose Company and President Park Fire Company to Waterworks Park in South Amboy, where South Amboy Animal Control officers reported seeing a deer's head bobbing up and down in the water.

Three firefighters donned ice suits and went out into the frozen pond to lead the deer to shore.

"It was struggling to stay afloat," Sayreville firefighter Chris Mierzwiak, 21, a member of the rescue team, told WABC-TV. "The initial idea was to get the deer ... and extract it as fast as possible, but it was a lot harder because you can't talk to the deer."

Sayreville Fire Department Chief Vincent Waranowicz said the deer rescue was a unique challenge for his department.

"When I got there the deer was about 400 feet out and it was barely above the water," Waranowicz told Patch. "You could tell it was fighting and struggling. It kept trying to get up on top of the ice but it couldn't."

"[The firefighters] were able to walk most of the way across the pond, but once they got to the deer, they fell through, too. But they were prepared. We train for that. You know that in any ice rescue, when you approach the victim, you're probably going to fall through the ice, too," Waranowicz said.

The deer eventually became exhausted enough that firefighters were able to lift it out of the water and drag it across the ice on a sled.

The 18-month-old deer spent about 30 minutes warming itself up under a blanket before being released back into the woods.

Waranowicz said his firefighters have been training for ice rescues for two years, but Friday night was the first time they put their training to the test.