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Lawrence cop dives into pond after boy falls through ice

LAWRENCE, Ind. (WISH) — A Lawrence police officer is being hailed a hero after he dove into a pond to save a teenager who fell through the ice.

It happened around 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon on Bob Drive in Lawrence.

Police say the teen was playing ball with friends when the ball went onto the ice.

The boy went after the ball but fell through the thinning ice.

Lawrence Police Department Officer Dustin Van Treese says a perfect description led him to the right place to find the teen.

“My own child obviously popped up in my head, so that was actually my child that I saw, that I was envisioning out there,” Van Treese explained. “So as I was crossing out to take the shortest path to him, I was taking my belt keepers off to take my duty belt off.”

Police say the boy was in the water for four to five minutes before being rescued.

“I just wanted to get that kid out of there as fast as possible,” Van Treese added.

The teen was taken to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health to be treated for hypothermia.