Dramatic moment cops rescue eight-year-old boy who fell through the ice on frozen pond
Third grader Tayvion was making his way across what he thought was solid ice when he plummeted into chest-deep water outside his Long Island home.
By JENSEN BIRD
Published: 05:44 GMT, 4 January 2026 | Updated: 05:45 GMT, 4 January 2026
Long Island police came to the rescue after an eight-year-old boy fell through a partially frozen pond on Christmas Day.
Third grader Tayvion was making his way across what he thought was solid ice when he plummeted into chest-deep water outside his Patchogue home.
He was trying to head back to his apartment by taking a well-meaning shortcut at around 1pm but was instead left clinging onto rapidly breaking ice.
Tayvion began hollering for help, attracting a crowd of neighbors who immediately dialed 911.
Three Suffolk County Police Officers were nearby and rushed to his rescue as quickly as possible.
'The water reached his chest, and the icy conditions made it difficult for him to get out, if not impossible to get out,' says Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina.
He was reportedly trapped for several minutes before police could make their treacherous attempt to grab him, per CBS News.
Officers James Rizzo, Andrew Tirelli and Michael Santillo had to get creative to extricate the boy from the frigid waters.
Eight-year-old Tayvion fell through an iced-over pond on Christmas Day while trying to take a short cut home
Suffolk police officers responded to the December 25 scene after an onlooker called 911
Officers estimated that Tayvion was submerged in the icy water for several minutes before they came to his rescue
'When we got that call of the child falling through the ice, you kind of don't really analyze it too much, someone needs help,' Tirelli told News12.
One officer tied together a life preserver and a tow rope in an attempt to rig up a makeshift rescue device for the boy.
But when they threw the life ring his way, Tayvion could not get a hold of it.
'I can't!' he yelled to the officers as they urged him to hang on so they could pull him in.
Sergeant Santillo decided the only way to retrieve the boy was to slide out on the ice and get Tayvion himself.
'When I got to him, I actually fell through the ice, and I was able to stand,' he said in a press conference on January 3, where Tayvion was reunited with the officers who saved his life.