NEW YORK – A San Clemente man was one of two good Samaritans who rescued seven boys who fell into an icy pond in Central Park Monday night.
Nine boys were walking on ice near Central Park South and Sixth Avenue around 6 p.m. Seven of them reportedly were jumping around and taking selfies, but when they got together as a group, the ice broke, said Bennett Jonas, a 2012 graduate of San Clemente High School.
Jonas, 23, was skateboarding in the park with Ethan Turnbull, 24, from Australia, when they saw the boys break through the ice at the far side of the pond. The boys – ages 10 to 17 – were all wearing heavy jackets and backpacks.
“We ran over there and saw some ladders around the lake but they weren’t long enough to reach them,” Jonas said by phone Tuesday. “I knew someone had to go out to them.”
Jonas, who moved to New York eight months ago to pursue an acting career, went chest deep in the water, grabbed two boys who tried to climb on top of him and handed them off to Turnbull. Then Jonas and Turnbull pulled over one of the ladders and three other boys were able to use it to climb from the ice.
By the time Jonas got to the last two boys they were already unconscious.
“They wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t pulled them out,” he said.
According to local news reports, the boys taken to three area hospitals are reported to be doing well. Two other boys who didn’t fall through the ice were later tracked down in Harlem, according to WABC Channel 7.
“I was terrified at first, but I wanted to make sure they got out,” Jonas said. “It didn’t hit me at the time how long everything took. It was like a dream. I have no recollection it went fast or slow.”
Jonas, who was in junior lifeguards and surfed his whole life, was at home in the icy water, he said, though it was colder than what he’s used to off the beach of San Clemente.
“Growing up in San Clemente means growing up in the ocean,” Jonas said. “I spent more time in the ocean in the summers than on land. Being in the water is second nature to me.”
Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@scng.com or on Twitter:@lagunaini
