Olivia Heid (8 years old) and her younger brother RJ (4 years old) were playing in the backyard of their Harmony Road house in Middletown, New Jersey on a Thursday morning.
It was a beautiful day, so Stephanie Heid and her hubby Richard chose to take their kids sledding for the first time.
But none of them had any idea what was going to occur that day.
Following a magnificent meal, the Heids began their search for a suitable location for the children. They initially headed to the sled slope at Holmdel Park, which was unfortunately closed.
Stephanie inquired for ideas on Facebook, and several reacted by recommending the Beacon Hill Country Club.
Between 2 and 3 p.m., the family arrived at the Beacon Hill Country Club. Nevertheless, when they examined the major hill, they discovered that it was overcrowded and extremely steep. They settled on a much smaller hill to the left that had a lower gradient.
Stephanie said they have two saucer sleds, however her hubby insisted on bringing this gigantic blow-up inner tube sled. They spent half an hour in the vehicle blowing up the thing.
What they didn’t realize was how much they’d appreciate having that inflatable sled.
The pair observed a pond to the right of the hill, though they didn’t think it was very significant. They didn’t think it would be a problem because it was so far away.
Olivia and RJ’s initial run-off went so well that they decided to try again. RJ sat on his bigger sister’s lap while his elder sister sat on the inflatable sled.
Richard gave the children a solid push down the hill, unaware that this would be the beginning of their family’s tragedy.
Tragically, the youngsters struck a patch of ice near a tree, causing their inflatable sled to ricochet and crash into the frozen pond.
It managed to float for a brief time before sinking every second; it was a scary sight to see because it put Olivia and RJ in risk.
Kieran Foley, 14, Joseph Dietrich, 14, Drew Scalice, 14, Ryan Day, 15, and Tyler Armagan, 14, were all there to sled, as luck would have it.
The adolescent lads were tossing boulders into the pond to see if it had completely frozen over. When they heard people yelling up the hill, they decided to investigate.
They could see the twins slipping slowly into the icy pond. Kieran rushed into action without hesitation to save them.
He didn’t see anyone else doing anything, so he simply dived in, he recalled, reliving that terrifying moment. He could stroll right over to them because the water wasn’t very deep. He grabbed them up, and his buddies made a chain, and they got the lad first, handing him over to his friends. He then got the girl.
She couldn’t get down the slope fast enough, Stephanie explained. There were other families at the top of the hill yelling as well. What amazed her was how quickly the guys figured out how to form a human chain. She is not sure how they managed to do it.
Kieran and Drew were both members of Middletown Boy Scout Troop 47, it turned out. It’s no longer a mystery why they understand how to do that; it’s most likely one of the things they learnt as boy scouts.
Kieran’s footwear became trapped in the pond during the rescue, Tyler’s phone dropped into the water, and another kid lost his headphones. Stephanie and Rich offered to reward them with money, but they declined.
They were ridiculously modest. They didn’t want anything, only to make sure her kids were safe. They continued telling the children, ‘You’re safe now. A hot chocolate and a nice bath await you at home,’ Stephanie remarked, proudly recounting her meeting with the lads who saved her children.
This anecdote simply demonstrates that heroes are always around and ready to assist. In this situation, the teen males have demonstrated to us all that quick thinking and generosity may save lives.
Watch the video below to learn more about their bravery.
