Boy dies after saving friend who fell through ice at NYC pond

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- An 11-year-old boy from Queens, N.Y., died after saving a friend who fell through the ice of a frozen pond, officials said Tuesday.

Law enforcement officials told the New York Post that Anthony Perez, 11, jumped into frozen waters to save his friend, 12-year-old Juan Umiperrez, who had fallen through the thin ice.

"He was on land, he only went out to the ice after the other kid fell through," the law enforcement official said. "He [Anthony] was able to push him [Juan] out to safety, but he fell through ice and he couldn't get out."

Juan ran for help and a New York Fire Department crew arrived to help Anthony. WABC-TV reported that firefighters took off their gear, stripping down to t-shirts and shorts during mid-30s temperatures, to find the boy under the water.

"Members had to physically, with their hands, break through the ice and chop the ice so they could get to the area that they knew the child would most likely be in. They had to go underneath to get the child," the FDNY said in a statement.

When firefighters were able to recover the boy's frozen body, he was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Friends of Anthony's family said he will be remembered for his final act.

"I'm going to call him a hero. He's a hero," said Carmen Rivera, a neighbor of the Perez family.