A Brooklyn man and his dog were rescued from the lake at Blydenburgh Park over the weekend. On Saturday, January 9,around 11:50 A.M, the 56-year-old man went after Dena, one of his dogs who ran onto a frozen lake. When he attempted to go after Dena, the ice broke, rendering the unidentified Brooklyn man in freezing chest-deep water.
First responders from the Fourth Precinct, Emergency Service Section, Aviation Section, Marine Bureau and Park Rangers arrived on scene to rescue the man from dangerous conditions. Emergency Service Section Officer Michael Coscia, crawled out onto the ice in full water rescue gear, tied to a rope, held by Officer Michael Simpson and Officer Robert Stahl. The Brooklyn man was pulled from the ice by Sergeant Michael Homan, Officers Simpson and Stahl. Dena the dog walked off the ice, unharmed by the cold.
Members of the Smithtown Fire Department transported the man to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of hypothermia, after sustaining freezing water for 25 minutes. Both dogs were kept warm inside a rescue vehicle until they could be picked up by local relatives.