Keep Kids And Dogs Off Ice, Atlantic Highlands Police Warn

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ — It's a familiar sight along with Bayshore in winter: A sheet of ice stretching out into Sandy Hook Bay as far as the eye can see.

But this is the time of year to be extra vigilant about keeping kids, teens and pets off that ice, warned Atlantic Highlands Police Capt. David Rossbach.

"At least once every winter we get a call about some kids venturing out onto the ice. They can be as young as 9 years old if their parents aren't watching them, or they're teenagers," he said.

While Capt. Rossbach said he can't recall an actual ice rescue in his over 30 years with the Atlantic Highlands police department — where someone actually fell through broken ice — he said the risk is always there, every winter. Be extra vigilant this week, as the temperature is not expected to rise about the low 20s, and the ice will get very thick and appear sturdy.

"As the temperatures are supposed to stay below freezing for the next week, the ice will get very thick and it will look like you can walk over it," Capt. Rossbach said. "The river in between Highlands and Sandy Hook really will completely freeze over sometimes. So sometimes you'll hear about someone trying to walk across it or let their dog run across it."

In past winters, the ice has gotten so thick that SeaStreak ferry cannot come to their dock in Highlands, or they'll need to use tugboats to break up the ice. In January of 2016, police and DPW workers rescued a dog that had fallen into frozen Mill Pond in Milltown, NJ. Read that story: Dog Falls Into Icy Pond, Saved by Officer and DPW Manager in Milltown And in March of that same year, a Woodbridge Animal Control officer jumped in to save a dog that had fallen into the cold, fast-moving waters of Arthur Kill. Both he and the dog had to be hospitalized for hypothermia. That story: Woodbridge Officer Saves Drowning Dog from Arthur Kill

The temperature of the water is cold enough to take your breath away, which can lead to panic and drowning, Atlantic Highlands police warned on Facebook Wednesday. The coldness can make your arms and legs numb which means you can't control them and can't swim.

If a dog or other animal ventures onto the ice, or falls through it, do NOT go to its rescue, police warned. You are likely to end up falling through the ice as well. Instead, call 911 right away.

Photos via Atlantic Highlands police.