A 39-year-old Vernon Township man was rescued from an icy lake early Thursday after people living in the area heard him crying out for help, authorities said.
A 39-year-old Vernon Township man was pulled from an icy lake early Thursday after people living in the area heard him crying out for help, authorities said.
A resident near Barry Lakes called police about 2 a.m., reporting the man's desperate cries, police said in a statement.
The caller could not tell where the man was. But the caller said the victim "sounded in distress," police said.
As police arrived, they received a second 911 call from someone who heard cries in the Barry Lakes beach area.
The caller told 911 that the person was too far out in the lake to see.
Members of the Highlands Lakes and West Milford Fire Department Number 5, along with the Vernon Township Ambulance Squad arrived to help three police officers who were at the lake, police said.
Two firefighters from Highland Lakes put on ice protective gear and entered the water with a rescue rope.
They made their way out to the victim, secured the rope to him and pulled him out of the water and onto shore. Other firefighters and police helped with the rescue, police said.
A Medevac helicopter was unable to fly the man to a hospital due to inclement weather, police said.
The man was taken by ambulance to St. Anthony's Hospital in Warwick, N.Y. to be treated for hypothermia.
Barry Lakes is a private residential community located within Vernon Township in Sussex County.
Police said the man is a resident of the community, but did not say why the man was on the lake at that hour.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.