Milford Man Details Saving Terrified Boy from Icy Waters and Being Rescued Himself

MILFORD, CT — Milford resident John O'Rourke doesn't want to be called a hero, but that's exactly what he is being hailed as after saving a young boy from the frigid waters of Mondo Pond Sunday afternoon. After falling into the pond during the rescue, O'Rourke says he was just doing what any human would do in the situation.

"One guy called me a hero," the 62-year-old O'Rourke told Patch."They probably do that to everyone who saves somebody."

The Depot Road resident took his dog to the pond to walk the trails when he came across a group of children on the ice. After warning the boys to be careful and not stand in one spot, he was about to leave the pond when he noticed one of the boys had ventured further out onto the ice, and fell through.

After grabbing a large stick, O'Rourke said he saw the boy's terrified face floating just above the surface and his frozen hands hanging on for dear life. The boy was screaming "I'm gonna die!," said O'Rourke.

"When you see this little round face screaming, that's something you just can't leave," said O'Rourke, who works as an auto parts delivery driver."I don't think there's a human in the world that would not jump out and grab him."

Smartly, however, O'Rourke did not jump onto the ice. He ventured out on his stomach and wiggled his way to where the boy had fallen through, a distance which he estimates was approximately 25 yards from the shoreline. Using the stick, he attempted to pull the boy onto the surface of the ice, but he fell through just before he could grab the boy and pull him to safety.

The dangers of frigid waters are well-known, however they can be come amplified if one is exerting themselves. According to the Center for Disease Control, cold conditions put extra strain on the heart, and the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.

After futile attempts to break the ice and swim to safety, O'Rourke decided to throw the boy onto the surface of the ice. Once on the surface, O'Rourke instructed the boy to wiggle on his stomach until he made it safely to shore. The boy may have been safe, but O'Rourke himself was still in harms way, and he said that the water began to feel even colder once the boy was out.

"It felt like a bunch of needles and knives stabbing into you," he said, equating the feeling to that of those who take part in polar plunge events."It seemed to get less cold as I was helping the boy, but then it got really cold."

Luckily for O'Rourke, the Milford Police and Fire Departments arrived on scene and pulled him to safety. Barely able to stand, he was dried off and transported to a nearby hospital. He said the firefighters weren't really aware of what happened until he was inside the ambulance.

"One guy called me a hero, but they probably do that to everyone who saves somebody," said O'Rourke.

Not expecting or wanting any thanks, O'Rourke received countless emails and text messages from friends after the news broke. The boy's mother reached out to the hospital to get in contact with O'Rourke, and as expected, heavily expressed her thanks and gratitude.

"I don’t think that anyone could have seen the terror in his eyes and not gone in there," he said."I’m not anything special, I just happened to be there at the time."

Image provided by Diane O'Rourke