A 48-year-old distraught Oshawa man and his friend are alive after three officers jumped into Lake Ontario to get them out of the icy water on Saturday.
On December 7 at 8:00 pm, members of Central East Division were called to Simcoe Street South in Oshawa for a distraught male who had jumped into the frigid waters of Lake Ontario. A friend of the male also entered the water to help the man, said a police media release.
Three officers removed their equipment and without hesitation entered the lake to rescue the two males. It was pitch black and the water was up to their chest. The officers were able to pull them out of the water and drag them to the shoreline in a few minutes. A male officer collapsed into the arms of one of the other responding officers due to hypothermia after reaching the shore, it added.
The male officer and the two victims were taken to local hospital and treated after being exposed to the cold waters. Two female officers were treated at the scene.
The 48-year-old male was apprehended under the Mental Health Act and was assessed at the hospital. The temperature at the time of this incident was -5 Celsius.
All of the involved officers and the civilian were treated and released from the hospital.