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Teens Thankful To Be Alive After Falling Into Icy Attleboro Pond

ATTLEBORO (CBS) – Fourteen year-old Jacob Rosottti and 13-year-old Rachel Sullivan are thankful to be alive. "It's scary to be here right now to see how far it is over there how close I was to death," Risotti said.

The two are best buddies. On Sunday they went with a group of friends to hang out by the icy pond behind Elks Lodge in Attleboro.

They were tossing a football round when it fell onto the ice. Jacob was the first to go onto the ice to retrieve it. His other friend followed him. Seconds later Jacob felt the ice begin to break.

"All I can remember is me falling through I was thinking stay calm always keep kicking and keep your head up," Risotti said.

Jacob Rosottti
Jacob Rosottti and Rachel Sullivan were rescued from an icy pond in Attleboro (WBZ-TV)

When Jacob and his friend fell through, Rachel immediately sprang into action. Without thinking she ran onto the ice to rescue both of them. That's when she fell through. She admits she can't even swim.

"I made the problem worse when I tried to save them. But I have no regrets that I tried to help them. I just wish the ice didn't break," Sullivan said.

However the ice did break and all three of them were clinging for dear life. "After a while I couldn't feel my hands I was so numb," Sullivan said.

While the other friends rushed to call 911 Jacob and his friend managed to pull themselves out. But Rachel was still stuck.

Attleboro pond
Teens fell through the ice at an Attleboro pond (WBZ-TV)

"I did go back onto the ice to help my friend Rachel because I didn't want to have that gut feeling that I didn't have the courage to help her. I want to be her hero because she was my hero," Risotti said.

Rachel told him to go back. "He came back to help me but I yelled get away it's going to break," Sullivan said.

Moments later firefighters arrived and pulled her out of the icy water. All three were taken to the hospital suffering from hypothermia.

Today they look at what they survived and are very thankful and have a strong message for everyone. "Try and do good things but not to the extreme. Stay off the ice, it's not safe I didn't make it. I should not have done it," Sullivan said.

Jacob agrees. "Don't do dumb things it was very dangerous to be honest. I fell in and came close to death," Risotti said.

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