Body camera video captured the tense moments as Patrolman Luis Martinez, with Princeton Police, ran nearly a mile in the snow and through rough terrain trying to reach a man badly injured while ice skating.
“It was heavily covered in snow, it hasn’t been shoveled, there was brush everywhere, and it was inaccessible,” Martinez said.
Martinez was nearing the end of his shift Tuesday when a call came in for a water rescue on the Delaware and Raritan Canal near Alexander Road in Princeton.
Body camera footage shows the path Luis Martinez took to get to the canal.
Princeton Police
Martinez said he grabbed a floatation device from his trunk, and his adrenaline kicked in as he ran toward the canal.
Officers launched drones to help find the victim, and police say he was with another person who helped first responders pinpoint the remote area on the canal.
“They called 911 on their phone, they stayed with him the entire time giving updates about the person’s status,” said Princeton Police Lt. Leonard Thomas.
Martinez said when he found the victim, he was bleeding badly from his head after tripping and falling on the ice.
“I want to say in my experience it’s one of the more serious injuries that I’ve seen,” Martinez said.
Luckily, the victim didn’t plunge into the frigid water and he’s expected to be OK, but police say this incident highlights the dangers of skating and walking on frozen waterways.
Princeton police said right now all lakes and canals in the area have been deemed unsafe.
“You don’t know what you’re stepping on if it’s thick ice or very thin or any cracks in the body of water there, so it’s very hazardous conditions to be in,” Martinez said.