Teenage Heroes Leap into Action: A Tale of Bravery and Quick Thinking in Atlantic Highlands

The five boys jumped to action when two children slid into an icy pond in New Jersey

A Chilling Day Turned Heroic: The Courageous Rescue of Two Children from a Freezing Pond

Teenage Heroes Leap into Action

In the heart of winter 2020, a day of family fun in the snow at Beacon Hill Country Club in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, took a harrowing turn. What started as an exhilarating sledding adventure quickly transformed into a desperate fight for life when two young children, R.J., 4, and Olivia, 8, found themselves plunging into the icy waters of a frozen pond.

Rich Heid, their father, recalled the moment with a shiver. His children had been joyfully speeding down a hill on an inflatable sled, their laughter echoing through the crisp air. But the joy was short-lived as the sled veered over a patch of ice, propelling them into the pond’s frigid embrace. “I started screaming, ‘Jump off, jump off, jump off,'” he recounted, his voice still tinged with the terror of that moment.

The scene echoed a poignant moment from the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where George Bailey and his friends saved his younger brother, Harry, from drowning in icy waters. Similarly, this real-life drama unfolded with heart-stopping urgency and heroic intervention.

Stephanie Irlbeck, the children’s mother, was equally stricken with fear. “You could see fear in their eyes,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “Looking at him screaming ‘Jump off, jump off.’ I was screaming, ‘Someone get them!'”

As panic set in, a group of high school freshmen nearby, all members of the same Boy Scout troop, heard the frantic cries. Among them were Tyler Armagan, Ryan Day, Joseph Dietrich, Kieran Foley, and Drew Scalice. They were getting ready to head home from their own sledding adventure when they realized the two small children were headed straight into the pond.

Kieran, 14, led the charge. “They just went so fast right down the hill,” he said, noting that because the two were facing backward, “they really didn’t see it coming.”

Without a second thought, Kieran sprang into action. Leading the charge, he dove into the icy water while his friends formed a human chain, working together to pull R.J. and Olivia to safety. The mud was thick and treacherous, sucking Kieran’s boots off as he fought his way to the children, his phone still in his pocket.

“Tyler, one of our friends, helped with getting Olivia out of the water. She was a bit heavier,” Kieran explained. Despite the cold and the danger, the boys never hesitated. “I knew it wasn’t that deep, the water, so I just picked them up and brought them to the side of the pond to get them as warm as possible.”

The boys split up to rescue the children and then consoled them as they waited. “All I can remember is seeing the kids come down,” Drew said. “When we went to the car, they started to cry … but Ryan was trying to calm the kids down, asking them what they wanted for Christmas, all that type of stuff.”

Teens form human chain to save kids who fell into frozen pond l GMA

The children were in shock, shivering uncontrollably. “We were shaking — R.J. was freezing,” Olivia said, her eyes wide with lingering fear.

Reflecting on the experience, Kieran’s words resonated with profound wisdom beyond his years. “Life is much more valuable than a phone. So I say it’s a good choice to just get in there and get them out,” he said. “These are all materialistic items. Now, we had life. Life’s at stake.”

The parents of the rescued children, Richard Heid and Stephanie Irlbeck, later sent a video thanking the young men for “their courage and bravery,” and the kids gave them a hearty “thank you.”

In the end, what could have been a tragic story became a testament to the extraordinary courage and selflessness of these young boys. Their swift actions and bravery not only saved two young lives but also reminded us all of the incredible power of community and the profound value of life.

“I’m grateful that it’s a good, positive impact on everyone’s life and the kids were safe and no one got hurt,” Kieran said.