Boy Who Fell Into Icy Pond, Man Attempting Rescue Die

LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. —  A child who fell through the ice on a pond and a man who tried to save him died after being submerged for more than two hours in the frigid water.

“The 7-year-old broke through the ice . . . and the 27-year-old attempted to rescue him,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Capt. Dennis Casey. “Unfortunately, the rescue efforts failed and both of them went down.”

The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man, who has not been identified, died about 8 p.m. after undergoing emergency resuscitation at Mountain Community Hospital in Lake Arrowhead, a hospital spokeswoman said.

At 3:30 p.m., someone called 911 to report that two people had fallen into a pond near Santa’s Village, said Chip Patterson, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

For several hours, rescue crews in inflatable boats dragged grappling hooks along the bottom on the pond in search of the victims.

Divers also searched the icy waters, Patterson said.

The boy and the man were found at 6 p.m.

Their relationship was not immediately known.