Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- A 14-year-old boy died after falling through ice at Ogden Pond.
- Bystanders rescued his friend; the boy was treated for mild hypothermia.
OGDEN — One teen died, and another is recovering, after falling through the ice at a pond Monday night.
One of the boys was rescued by bystanders shortly after falling in. His companion, 14, spent more than two hours in the water before dive teams could reach him and pull him out.
Dive teams were called in to find and rescue the boy; he was pulled from the water just before 7 p.m., Cox said. The boy was flown to Primary Children's Hospital for treatment. Tuesday morning, Ogden police confirmed the boy had died.
Lane Findlay, a spokesman for the Weber School District, told KSL.com the victim was a 9th-grader from South Ogden Junior High School. A family member confirmed the boy was Samuel Creel.
"Sammy has lived with Autism his entire life. He was a loving big brother who enjoyed spending time with his little brother. He also liked playing video games, working on computers and the outdoors. Samuel loves his toy police car and has expressed interest in becoming a policeman," the family member wrote on a fundraiser* page.
"We are all still greatly in shock and want to be there for (Creel's mother) and everyone in our family who has had the pleasure of knowing and loving Sammy," the family member wrote.
Emergency responders were called to Glassman Pond, 1100 E. 4600 South, about 4:30 p.m. by two teenagers who said they were ice fishing when they noticed two other teens go into the water, according to Ogden Police Lt. John Cox.
Major Nicholls and Jessie Johnson said they heard the other boys cry for help and "ran as fast we could to get over there," Nicholls told KSL-TV. "I slid on my stomach to try to, like, grab them."
Nicholls and Johnson said they worked quickly, trying to reach the boys while staying safe.
"They started drifting out a little bit, so I just stood up because we couldn't get out there. And it was hard because we just had to watch for a minute and not do anything because it was too far out," Nicholls said.
Johnson called 911, and then the teens grabbed their fishing rods and were able to help pull one of the boys out of the water. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for mild hypothermia, Ogden city spokesman Mike McBride said.
Correction: A previous version reported Creel was 15-years-old. He was 14.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
