A New Jersey police officer crawled across ice and plunged into frigid water to rescue a dog that was trapped in a freezing lake.
The Hazlet Township Police Department shared video footage of the drama on Tuesday to its Facebook page, writing, “At about 9:50 a.m. we received a frantic call for a dog stuck in the lake at Veteran’s park.”
Watch Below:
At about 9:50am we received a frantic call for a dog stuck in the lake at Veteran’s park. The lake still had a thin sheet of ice and the dog was struggling to make it back to shore. Patrolman Doug Centrone was luckily on duty and sprung into action to help. Ptl Centrone also happens to be a part of the Maritime Emergency Response Team, so he is well trained in how to navigate these situations. Ptl. Centrone put his gear on and carefully navigated across the ice to the dog, Taffy, lifting her up onto the ice where she was able to carefully walk back to shore. Taffy’s owner related she had tripped and lost Taffy’s leash when Taffy went to chase a goose on the ice. Taffy was immediately covered in blankets and put in her car to warm up. We would like to commend Ptl. Centrone for his quick actions and proving it’s important to help out all in need, even canines!
Posted by Hazlet Township Police Department on Tuesday, February 25, 2025
In the video, Patrolman Doug Centrone can be seen crawling across ice on a partially frozen lake at Veteran’s Park in Hamilton Township — less than ten miles east of Trenton — before plunging into the water, where the dog was located.
The police officer then lifts the dog back onto the ice, allowing her to run back to shore.
“The lake still had a thin sheet of ice and the dog was struggling to make it back to shore,” the police department explained, adding, “Patrolman Doug Centrone was luckily on duty and sprung into action to help.”
The Hazlet Township Police Department also noted that Centrone “happens to be a part of the Maritime Emergency Response Team, so he is well trained in how to navigate these situations.”
“Centrone put his gear on and carefully navigated across the ice to the dog, Taffy, lifting her up onto the ice where she was able to carefully walk back to shore,” the police department continued.
Police added that Taffy’s owner had tripped when the dog tried “to chase a goose on the ice,” which resulted in her accidentally letting go of the leash.
“Taffy was immediately covered in blankets and put in her car to warm up,” the department said. “We would like to commend Ptl. Centrone for his quick actions and proving it’s important to help out all in need, even canines!”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.