Dramatic body cam footage captures 'heroic' ice rescue

Dramatic bodycam footage captured a heroic rescue of three individuals from a frozen lake in northern New Jersey on Sunday, Jan. 16. Police were initially called to Lake Musconetcong, which is just about an hour west of Newark, New Jersey, after one person, later identified as Rodrigo Oborski, reportedly broke through the ice and was wading in the frigid water.

In terrifying bodycam footage of the incident, a daring rescue becomes more complicated when two witnesses also fall through the ice.

Rodrigo Oborski found himself in the frigid lake Sunday evening after driving his motorbike on the frozen lake.

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"I hit some thin ice," Oborski accounts, "the front wheel went into the ice, into the water, the bike broke through the ice."

Oborski covered in winter gear like a helmet, scarf, gloves and face mask was weighed down in the water, making it harder for him to breathe and for police to rescue him.

Onlooker James Best sprung into action, running onto the ice to help Oborski after watching the incident happen. Once Best was about 40 feet from the shore, he encountered thin ice and fell through, making this a two-person rescue.

Once officers from the Stanhope Borough Police Department arrived, they worked together, using a rope to pull Best from the water. Best remained with officers on the ice to help officers locate the initial victim, Rodrigo Oborski.

In the heart-pounding footage, an additional onlooker Emma Ike, who watched Oborski fall through the ice, can be seen skating rescue equipment out on the ice seconds before disappearing into the frigid water beneath her.

During the rescue efforts, Oborski was able to pull himself out of the water onto the ice and waited while officers helped Ike and Best out of the water.

"I went to the surface and I removed my helmet, my gloves, my scarf so I could be a little bit more mobile," Oborski said in an interview with WABC in New York City.

Officers can be seen pulling Ike and Best out of the water with a rope before heading out with a sled to rescue Oborski.

All three individuals were rescued and treated at the scene by EMS personnel. Only one was taken to the hospital.

Residents in Roxbury Township, New Jersey, where the lake is located were experiencing the coldest weather of the year, with temperatures both weekend days reaching only into the mid-20s and dropping into the single digits at night.

"Everybody was so heroic," onlooker Amy Grayson told WABC, "they went out, and they saved three lives and it was great."

There is no such thing as 100 perfect safe ice, but precautions can be taken to reduce the risks. The ice strength can be difficult to determine and depends on a combination of factors including thicknesses, external temperature over a period of time, snow coverage and depth of water under the ice. Meteorologists say it is important to always be prepared for the worst-case scenario and have an emergency plan in case you are planning to spend time on the ice.

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