Tinley Park Men Caught Using Fire Hydrant To Fill Backyard Ice Rink
TINLEY PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Two young men from the south suburbs said they were only trying to do something good for the neighborhood in Tinley Park, but now they're in trouble with the law after tapping a fire hydrant to create an outdoor ice rink.
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports Timothy Ryan of Oak Lawn, and Anthony Nelin of Tinley Park, both 20, have been cited for tampering with a fire hydrant.
"I just don't want us to have a bad reputation for something that we were trying to do good," Nelin said.
They built an ice rink in the back yard of a friend's house. It's about 90 feet by 40 feet and comes complete with a penalty box, but now the young men themselves are facing penalties.
Ryan said, on top of having to back the village for the water they used from the hydrant, they'll have to pay a stiff fine.
"I'm thinking $250, like $300," he said.
They'll be in court in January to find out the exact penalty for tapping into the hydrant to fill their rink with water.
"We should have just done research," Ryan said.
Ryan and Nelin said they just wanted to skate, so they borrowed a 2-inch hose from Nelin's uncle, a firefighter, and it up to a fire hydrant on the property of Tinley Park High School.
When a custodian spotted it, police were called. Neighbors saw the response.
"I thought it was kind of funny seeing all the fire trucks outside," said Luke Kraus, 15.
But it wasn't funny for Ryan and Nelin, who were called to the scene by the homeowner.
"We went there when cops showed up, but we got a call from the homeowner, so we showed up and talked to the cops and said … she had nothing to do with it. She was being nice, letting us use her back yard for the rink, so we wanted to take responsibility for it," Nelin said.
Now, they said it's their responsibility to make sure all of their hard work doesn't go to waste.
"We'll get it done, I know we'll get it done," Nelin said.
This time, they plan to fill the ice rink with a garden hose.
