Ice-Related Drowning Incident Claims Life of Upstate New York Boy

A tragic accident claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy and left an 11-year-old female in critical condition.

A weekend walk for two upstate New York pre-teens went from harmless to tragic in a matter of seconds after one fell through the ice and as the other attempted to rescue them, they also fell through.

Kids Fall Through Ice in New York Park

The tragic accident unfolded on Saturday, December 7th as officers from the Albany Police Department (APD) were called to respond to Washington Park Lake located in the southwestern corner of Washington Park in Albany, New York. According to the Albany Police Department Facebook page, officers responded to the lake near the park's lake house at approximately 4:35 p.m. Saturday for a report of two juveniles who had fallen through the ice.

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As first responders from APD and the Albany Fire Department arrived on the scene they quickly located and rescued an 11-year-old female who had fallen through the ice. The unidentified girl was treated on the scene and was transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital for further treatment and is listed in critical condition.

UPDATE as of 6:08 a.m. Wednesday 12/11: According to APD, The 11-year-old girl rescued on Saturday, December 7, 2024 from Washington Park Lake has succumbed to her injuries.

Sadly the second child, a 12-year-old boy was located a few hours later by members of the New York State Police underwater recovery team who were conducting a secondary search of the lake. At approximately 7:25 p.m. the recovery team located the body of the deceased boy in the lake.

What Happened?

As police began their investigation, they believed that the 12-year-old boy attempted to walk north across the lake towards the lake house, and as he was crossing, he fell through the ice. They also believe that as the boy fell through the ice, the 11-year-old female saw it happen and, in an attempt to help, followed the same path across the lake, where she also fell through the ice. The names of the victims have and will not be released due to their age. This is an ongoing investigation.