Ti Police officer performs daring ice rescue

TICONDEROGA | The Ticonderoga Police recently demonstrated why having a local department quite literally is a lifesaver. When Ticonderoga Police Department Patrolman Scott Cook stepped onto his shift at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28, he had no idea how quickly and unpredictably his otherwise normal afternoon would soon deviate. A few miles away from the station on Black Point Road, a situation was about to unfold that would put just the right man in just the right place at just the right time. "I received a call from dispatch to go help a dog owner with a dog through the ice," Cook recalled. "That was the only information I had." At the age of 14, Cook joined the Ticonderoga Fire Department, which got him hooked on helping people, leading to a lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. Graduating from Ticonderoga High School in 2009, he joined the Ticonderoga Police Department in 2023 and became their K-9 handler this past March of 2025. And on this fateful Sunday, Cook would prove his worth to the squad in spades. Armed with throw bags (bags with rope) and equipped with life jackets, Cook headed out to the shore of Northern Lake George. In his mind, upon his arrival, he fully expected to see the homeowner standing on shore with their canine in the water, but that wasn't the scene that greeted Cook. With several family members already there, Cook spotted the dog's owner lying down with a ladder a mere ten feet away from the hole where his beloved animal had gone through. "I ran down to the dock and tried to get him to put a life jacket on," Cook said. "Water was coming out of the hole and pouring across the ice. He had been laying across the surface before I got there and was already wet and exhausted." As luck would have it, Cook was trained as a scuba diver and ice water rescue through the Putnam Fire Department, and was fully aware of the situation he was about to get himself into. In a split-second decision, Cook removed his vest and duty belt, requested that the homeowner stay put, and made his way towards the panicking pet. He had successfully slipped his hand through the dog's collar to pull him to the surface when the thin, tenuous ice broke away, and the lake swallowed Cook's body. "The first 15 seconds were the worst," Cook said. "It took my breath away." Cook's precarious circumstances didn't thwart him from his mission. Arms around the dog, he attempted to hand the petrified pup out of the water to his owner. But then the ice gave way a second time, and all three live beings were consumed in the frigid water temperature that hovered just above freezing. "At those temperatures humans usually have up to five minutes before the situation can turn critical; after 15 minutes they are usually losing consciousness," Cook said. "Animals have a little bit longer, they have up to half an hour." The water was just deep enough that neither Cook nor the homeowner was able to touch bottom. Cook somehow managed to toss the pup safely on the ice towards shore, and then proceeded to rescue his human counterpart. "We tried to get on ice two times with it breaking both times," said Cook. "Finally, on the third attempt, he was able to touch the bottom before I was." Cook had tossed a rope bag to the owner that was tied to the dock, which he was able to grab. Cook was then able to heave him out of the water, where he was able to be pulled in thanks to the bystanders. Cook, still in the water, waited before making any moves until the owner was off the ice, wanting to ensure there would not be a second breaking of the ice if he came out too soon. Once satisfied the homeowner was out of danger, Cook then self-rescued, using his upper body strength to make his escape from the icy depths. In total, he estimated he was submerged for three to four minutes. "It felt a lot longer," he added. "The first one to two minutes are critical. If you swallow water or panic, obviously, that can make situations much worse. The training I had kept allowed me to stay calm and keep a level head." Matt Karkoski, a neighboring resident who witnessed the ordeal first-hand, called Cook's actions heroic. "He was very professional throughout the whole ordeal," Karkoski recounted. "We were there for a bit before he arrived, and when he arrived, he took charge and remained calm the whole time. He didn't even panic when he fell through." Karkoski said that after assisting the homeowner back onto the ice, Cook instructed him to pull the owner to safety back on the dock before helping him out of his own predicament. "Once Scott was back on land, I took him to our house where he got out of his wet clothing and I loaned him dry clothing," Karkoski said. The ambulance then arrived at the scene and performed a medical assessment of Cook as the Karkoski family worked to warm him up. "The cold didn't set in until I was inside the house," Cook said, "It wasn't until after I disrobed all my wet clothes that I began shivering- I assume that would be the adrenaline stopping; it comes on just as quickly as it shuts off. It took 45 minutes until my body stopped shaking." Once sufficiently back to 98.6 degrees, Cook returned to the patrol car where K-9 Raven had been patiently awaiting for her handler, unaware of the scenario that had played out a few yards away. And Cook, still on the clock, resumed his shift, even responding to a late call that night and getting home 30 minutes past his scheduled 10:30 end. "Because we have a local police department, there were people there to help within a few minutes," Cook noted. "Having a local department is essential; the outcome of the owner and the animal could have been very different with a more delayed response."

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Ti Police officer performs daring ice rescue

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