Two Columbia Boys Among Four Children Rescued from Icy Pond

Two children who fell into an icy pond in Lansdowne over the weekend were in critical condition Monday afternoon, one of whom was from Columbia, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.

At 1:28 p.m. on Sunday, Baltimore County crews were dispatched to an ice rescue at Hillcrest Park on 3rd Avenue in Lansdowne, the report stated.

Four boys had been walking on the ice when they fell in; two swam to shore, according to the report.

Bystanders pulled Omar Chive Benjamin, 12, of the 7200 block of Calm Sunset Road in Columbia, from the pond and began administering first aid until Baltimore County crews arrived at 1:31 p.m., according to the report.

The Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department water rescue team pulled the fourth boy from the water at 2:47 p.m., and he was in cardiac arrest at the time, Baltimore County authorities reported.

Kyron Aikens, 13, of the 2400 block of Marbourne Avenue in Lakeland, was taken to St. Agnes Hospital, then transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital, according to the report.

Aikens and Benjamin were listed in serious condition Monday at the John Hopkins Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, police said.

The other two boys—Junior Wilbert Thomas, 8, of the 7200 block of Calm Sunset Road in Columbia, and Jujuan Wilder, 12, of the 3400 block of Spellman Road in Baltimore—were taken St. Agnes Hospital Sunday, where they were treated and released, police reported.

The incident illustrates that “...walking across or playing on the ice is never safe,” Baltimore County fire officials said. “Temperatures in the mid-Atlantic almost never become cold enough to create a layer of ice thick enough for recreation.”

Ice was 1 to 2 inches thick at the pond Sunday, according to the report.

Related: Four Children Rescued from Icy Pond in Lansdowne