Deer-rescue response sinks in N.J. pond

William Westhoven

The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record

ROXBURY, N.J. — A deer-rescue effort on a Roxbury pond took a dramatic turn Sunday morning as an amphibious vehicle holding five responders sank, casting its crew into freezing-cold water.

An OEM amphibious rescue craft sinks into Mills Pond after almost reached a deer stuck on the ice but suddenly tipped and sank into the pond. All of the responders and the deer were rescued. March 19, 2017, Roxbury, NJ

The crew was quickly rescued by members of Roxbury Fire Co. 1, according to Roxbury Police spokesperson Jennifer Dillard. The deer, which had been stuck in surface ice on the pond since the day before, also was rescued and brought to a shelter for treatment, Dillard said.

Police were first dispatched on Saturday to a report of a deer stuck on a pond behind a residential section of condos on Lagoon Way, south of the Ledgewood Mall. Also responding to the scene were the township animal control officer and agents from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife, who agreed that the best thing to do would be to leave the deer alone.

This funeral home has an adorable dog on staff

Veterinarian works hard to save dog's leg after other leg falls off

While authorities gathered back at the scene at 7 a.m. Sunday to discuss options, "They were advised that residents were formulating their own plans in an attempt to rescue the deer, and they even had a resident who approached them and stated that they were going to go buy a boat so they could attempt the rescue," Dillard said.

"I looked out my front window and I saw the deer further back in the middle of the pond," nearby resident Gary Stevens said Sunday. "It's migrated a little closer to us since yesterday. We were worried how she was going to do last night because we didn't know if she was going to be hurt or sick or anything like that."

Roxbury Fire Department and OEM out on Mills Pond in Roxbury to rescue the deer, which became stuck in a partially frozen pond for 24 hours. An OEM amphibious rescue craft almost reached the deer but suddenly tipped and sank into the pond. All of the responders and the deer were rescued. March 19, 2017, Roxbury, NJ

Responding to the resident actions, authorities decided to launch their own rescue, using an amphibious vehicle operated by the Morris County Office of Emergency Management, which had taken the lead at the scene.

"If this wasn't behind a condo complex and it was in the middle of the woods, then nature would just take its course and the deer would either get out, or it wouldn't," Roxbury Police Chief Marc Palanchi said at the scene. "But here, when you have people seeing it, the fear of them acting on their own, which was very likely, I'm sure ... They had a guy on his way to get a boat. I think that's what spurred the decision, because they had a guy who said I'm going to get my boat and I'm going to save it. We can't stop that. We can't stop everybody. So they decided to go get it, to stop people."

As the rescue progressed, the boat suddenly began to take on water due to an equipment malfunction, according to Dillard. The men on the boat, who sunk with the vehicle into the icy water, were then rescued by Roxbury Fire Co. 1, while the deer was rescued by another man.

"It wasn't a necessarily a mission to save the deer," Palanchi said. "It was a mission to save people from putting themselves in jeopardy, and then ending up needing to be saved."

The boat was still sunk in the middle of the pond on Sunday afternoon. Authorities said they were determining the best way to remove it.

The deer was tranquilized and transported to the Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary for treatment and rehabilitation.

Contributing: Bob Karp, The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record. Follow William Westhoven on Twitter: @wwesthoven

Featured Weekly Ad