Thinning ice claims another life
Death of teen at state park pond in Dutchess County adds to toll of mild winter
NORTH EAST — There’s a popular pond at Taconic State Park that locals in Dutchess County refer to as the Ore Bed, and it was one of Noah Thompson’s favorite places to go.
“He always seemed to find peace there,” said his mother, Dayna Cook.
On Friday afternoon, the 17-year-old Webutuck High School senior was at that location — officially known as Iron Mine Pond — with a friend from a neighboring high school when tragedy struck. The two teenagers had walked 20 to 30 feet out onto the frozen pond when they fell through the ice, according to the Dutchess County Sheriff ’s Office. Thompson’s friend was able to escape, but Thompson was not.
It was one of the fatalities that have happened on thinning ice as the region faces the seventh-warmest winter since 1874, according to the National Weather Service in Albany. Three men fell through the ice and died this past week while fishing on Lake Champlain in Vermont. In late January, a snowmobiler drowned in Peck Lake in Fulton County after his sled broke through the ice.
Dan Thompson, meteorologist for the weather service in Albany, said from Dec. 1 to Feb. 13 the average temperature at the Albany airport was just under freezing at 31.7 degrees.
At the Taconic State Park pond Friday, a friend called police and, according to another report, tried to save Thompson from the icy waters. But when the Dutchess County DIVE team and rescue personnel from other agencies arrived, Thompson was unresponsive. He was taken to Sharon Hospital in Connecticut, where he was pronounced dead.
Cook had taken the day off from work and was first alerted to the tragedy involving her son when she received a phone call from Noah’s cousin asking if he was home. “He said there were
some fire calls made and something had happened at the Ore Bed,” Cook recounted on Monday. “I threw my shoes on and immediately headed (there).”
The pond is located in Taconic State Park about a five-minute trail walk from Shagroy Road. There is no road access to the site, which required rescue personnel to hike in, according to the sheriff ’s office. The Ore Bed is popular with locals because of its serene setting.
The incident occurred at about 2:50 p.m. on a warm day of an unseasonably warm winter.
Cook said that Noah was a popular young man “who loved so hard and was loved by so many,” particularly for “his infectious smile, beautiful eyes and gorgeous hair.” He played baseball, spent a lot of his free time at the gym and wanted to be an entrepreneur when he grew up.
“He was passionate about all things and he was a kid who believed he could do anything and everything,” she said.
The family has set up a Gofundme to help pay for expenses, but Cook said they are overwhelmed with the number of donations.
“I would ask that others please donate to their local fire department,” she said, “as fire departments from all over did everything in their power to find my boy.”
The Dutchess County Sheriff ’s Office said people should “use extreme caution” around ice when temperatures are fluctuating, and to never walk or skate on ice unless it can be determined it is thick enough. Even then, someone should be on shore to call for help if needed.
“Many times the ice may appear to be safe but isn’t, and needless tragedies can result if it breaks,” the office said in the release about the Taconic State Park death.
Last week, Vermont brothers John Fleury, 71, of Williamstown, and Wayne Fleury, 88, of East Montpelier, fell through the ice in Keeler Bay in South Hero on Saturday while riding in an enclosed side-by-side utility terrain vehicle, according to the Vermont State Police.
Their deaths came just two days after another ice fisherman, Wayne Alexander, 62, of Grand Isle, Vt., fell through the ice last Thursday.
“Ice conditions on Lake Champlain are not currently safe for recreation due to the past week’s warm weather,” Christopher Herrick, commissioner of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, said Saturday. “Do not venture onto the ice on Lake Champlain.”
I would ask that others please donate to their local fire department as fire departments from all over did everything in their power to find my boy.”
— Danya Cook, mother of
Noah Thompson