Homewood Mayor Rescued From Frozen Lake By Anonymous Hero

HOMEWOOD, IL - An 80-year-old suburban mayor who saved his 100 pound labrador retriever dog from the icy waters of the Izaak Walton Preserve in Homewood Sunday afternoon was saved himself by a runner whose identity remains a mystery more than a day later. Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld found himself fighting for his life after saving the dog in a frozen lake when a runner stopped to help keep him alive and call 911.

The dog, Annie, one of three owned by Hofeld, wandered off her leash during a walk at the preserve and wandered onto a frozen lake, causing the ice to crack. Hofeld told the Daily Southtown that he found her "swimming around in cold water, just looking at us."

Hofeld, Homewood's village president since 1997, said he considers all his dogs "family" and did not think twice about jumping in to save her after her collar broke off.

But while having the strength to lift Annie — who weighs 100 pounds — out of the cold water to safety, Hofeld struggled to get out of the 10-foot deep lake himself.

“Every time I tried to get up onto the ice, the ice broke and I went under,” he said. “I was just treading water.”

That's when the quick-thinking runner came into the scene and tied together his own shirt, Hofeld's jacket and Hofeld's wife's jacket to make a makeshift rope.

"He's in the water. he can't hold on much longer," the unidentified runner said in a call to 911 aired by CBS.

When emergency crews arrived, the runner was still trying to pull Hofeld out of the lake but once they took over recovery operations the hero continued on his run.

The mayor, who was in the water for about 20 minutes and released from a hospital in Hazel Crest later that day, wants to thank the man who saved him. But initial reports indicate he may want to keep a low profile.

Photo via Village of Homewood