Teen Dies After Falling Through Icy Pond
LANSDOWNE, Md. (WJZ) — One of the four boys rescued after falling into an icy pond has died and now we're getting to hear the first moments right after one man witnessed the tragedy and called 911.
Christie Ileto has the story.
The caller stayed calm but it was sheer panic in the background as he and a growing number of people nearby fought to save the boys from drowning.
Panicked and desperate for help, a passerby saw 13-year-old Ky'ron Aikens and his friends fall through an icy pond behind Lansdowne High School.
"I was walking by with my brother and kids were playing on the ice on the lake and they fell through and they're underwater and they can't come up," the calle said.
The caller was calm, but a frenzy brewed in the background. Bystanders rushed to save the four kids who were fighting to stay afloat in a pond that reaches depths of 200 feet.
"You got one of them out? One of them is out now," the caller said.
"Just listen carefully: this could be a very dangerous situation. I don't want anybody to go into the ice and try to get them out," the dispatcher said.
Two of the boys were able to swim to shore and bystanders were able to pull another kid out of the water but first responders say Ky'ron spent over an hour under the chilly waters.
"They said it was a child still under water, which I knew it was my child," said Ky'ron's mother, Rhyanna Cleckley. "Because the other children were at the hospital."
Cleckley stood on shore, bracing and waiting for divers to pull her son from the murky water.
"That was the hardest thing I've ever dealt with," she said.
Eighty minutes later, Ky'ron was pulled out with barely any pulse.
He passed away Monday afternoon at Hopkins Children's Hospital. A 12-year-old rescued by bystanders remains in serious condition.
The pond is marked with signs warning against swimming and skating but do allow people to fish.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Ky'ron's family to help pay for hospital bills and the funeral. Click here to donate.