NYC man drowns trying to save dog that fell through ice

NAPLES, N.Y. -- Police say a 34-year-old New York City man has drowned while trying to save his dog from a pond.

The Ontario County Sheriff's Office tells local media that Garvin Brown, of Brooklyn, and his fiancee were renting a home in the Finger Lakes town of Naples, 40 miles southeast of Rochester.

Deputies say Brown was walking his dog around 1 a.m. Sunday when the canine went onto the ice of a pond and fell into the water.

Police say Brown broke through the ice when he tried to save his dog.

Lieutenant Bill Gallagher told CBS affiliate WROC that the man's fiancée "heard him go on the ice and fall through."

Investigators say Brown was unable to get out of the cold water and drowned.

Deputies say the dog survived.

Gallagher told WROC that police receive several calls every year for animals through the ice, usually around this time.

"The ice is melting; it's cracking, getting thinner and thinner, so it's certainty not safe for anyone to be on ice at this time," Gallagher said. "Earlier in the year, when we had the hard freeze, it was ok for people to go on the ice but now no one should be on ice."