Five teenagers from New Jersey are being hailed as heroes after jumping into an icy pond to save two children. The kids, Olivia Heid,8, and her 4-year-old brother R.J. were sledding at Beacon Hill Country Club in the Atlantic Highlands when they hit a patch of ice and lost control of their sled.
Their parents watched in horror from the top of the hill as the sled careened down the hill before crashing into an icy pond below.
Luckily, the teens were nearby and heard people screaming for help.
"We heard this Dad yelling, 'Hop off, hop off!'" Kiernan Foley, 14, told the Patch. "We turned around and see these kids coming down the hill. They were going backwards."
Kiernan didn't hesitate and jumped into the water when he saw the kids sinking into the pond. He grabbed R.J. as his friends formed a human chain and helped bring him to the shore. Kiernan then went back and pulled Olivia from the water.
"I didn't see anyone else be able to do anything, so I just jumped in," he said. "I was like, whatever. It wasn't deep, so I could walk right over to them. I picked them up, and my friends formed a chain, and we got the boy first and handed him to my friends. Then I got the girl."
The children's parents were grateful that the teens were nearby and able to help.
"I couldn't get down the hill fast enough," Stephanie Irlbeck said. "There were other families at the top of the hill, and we were all screaming. What was amazing to me was to see the boys immediately know how to form a human chain. I don't know how they knew to do that. The whole thing is incredible."
The children refused to accept a reward, though Kieran did take a pair of dry pants and boots from Irlbeck's husband.
"We offered them money; they wouldn't take it. My husband took off his pants and gave Kieran his pants and his boots; thankfully, he took those," said Irlbeck. "My husband shook all the boys' hands, and we wanted to give them a ride home, but they said no, their mom was coming to pick them up in half an hour. They were insanely humble. They didn't want anything, they just wanted to make sure my kids were OK. They kept saying to my kids, 'You're safe now. You're going to get a hot chocolate and a warm bath at home.'"
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