An Indiana man died Monday afternoon after falling through the ice on a private pond while trying to save his dog.
Indiana Conservation Officers said emergency crews responded to the area near the 70000 block of County Road 29 in Syracuse around 4 p.m. Investigators determined that 69-year-old Phillip Hoover had walked onto the frozen pond to rescue his pet when the ice suddenly broke beneath him.
Rescuers pulled Hoover from the frigid water and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His dog was safely recovered and survived without injury.
Following the tragedy, officials urged residents to use extreme caution around frozen bodies of water, reminding the public that no ice should ever be considered completely safe.
Conservation Officers encouraged people to test ice thickness before stepping onto it, wear a life jacket, keep ice picks accessible, and notify others of their plans.
The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, Syracuse Police Department, and fire units from New Paris, Foraker, and Turkey Creek assisted at the scene.