Four police officers and one civilian were honored during the Township Committee’s meeting on March 11 for their efforts in attempt to save a woman who ultimately drowned in the Plainsboro Pond in January.
Janet Howard, 61, of Edgemere Avenue, died when she tried to save her grandson’s dog after the dog ran out onto the ice on the Plainsboro Pond on January 3.
Howard apparently had been walking the German Shepherd, Apollo, when the dog, police believe, took off onto the 25-foot wide strip of ice along the shoreline of the pond in the area between Pond View Drive and Maple Avenue. Police say they believe she went after the dog, and both fell through the ice.
Police said that they received a call from Fox Run Drive resident Austin Hearn, 31, who had been biking along the Lenape Trail when he heard her cries for help.
Hearn tried to rescue the woman, but fell through the ice himself. “Mr. Hearn did not have a cell phone, so he attempted to rescue the victim by wading out to her, breaking the ice as he went,” Lieutenant Thomas DeSimone said during the meeting. “As he moved forward, he reached a steep drop-off in the pond and slipped under the water. Mr. Hearn lost sight of the victim at this point, so he returned to shore and ran to his residence to alert the authorities to the accident and then returned to the scene to provide information to rescuers.”
When police arrived on the scene, Sergeant Joseph Duffy waded into the pond, and initially searched the area with his feet while awaiting a rescue team from the Plainsboro Volunteer Fire Department. Unable to locate Howard in the murky water, he went under water and felt the bottom with his hands, but was again unable to locate her.
Officers Eric Potts, Joseph Breyta, and Joseph Diggs were also on scene with flotation rings and rope. Tethered by the rope, Duffy went under water once more and searched the area with his hands, but was still unable to locate her.
The Fire Department’s Special Services unit later arrived and eventually located Howard four-and-a-half feet beneath the surface, approximately 25 feet from the shoreline.
For his efforts, Hearn received a civilian citation, although he could not be present for the meeting. “Mr. Hearn demonstrated extreme bravery in the face of danger by entering the frigid waters of Plainsboro Pond, and self sacrifice to save another,” read DeSimone from the award.
Duffy, Diggs, Potts, and Breyta were also given a police citation. “These officers are to be commended for their teamwork and perseverance,” DeSimone said.
Duffy also received the police department’s medal of honor for “repeatedly re-entering the frigid waters of Plainsboro Pond.” DeSimone stated that Duffy had performed an “outstanding act in the line of duty.”
