COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus police officer is being hailed as a hero after rescuing a five-year-old girl who was stranded on a frozen pond on the Northeast Side.
The officer responded to a 911 call reporting a possible drowning in a retention pond behind homes in the 5000 block of Softwood Court, according to a post on the Columbus Division of Police Facebook page
The caller said a six-year-old boy knocked on the door and said a girl had just fallen through the ice into the pond while sledding. The caller could see the girl was still on top of the pond, laying on her back inside a plastic sled about 25 feet from shore, police said.
The officer arrived and began throwing his rescue rope to the girl, making several attempts before weighting the end of the rope with his flashlight and landing it next to her.
She grabbed the rope and the officer was able to pull her to safety.
She was reunited with her grandparents who were at the scene, police said.