Police have released the name of a young man who died after falling into an icy pond in Haymarket, Virginia, late on Christmas Eve.
They say the victim, 19-year-old Shahzada Zadran, and another man fell through the ice at the Piedmont Club Golf Course. The other man was able to get out of the water, but he couldn't find Zadran.
Firefighters were called and pulled Zadran from the pond. He died at a hospital.
The investigation is ongoing, but police do not suspect foul play.
Additional adults had non-life-threatening exposure injuries from the incident. Police said they were likely people who tried to help the man.
A video of the scene shared with News4 by Twitter user @KenKocher showed there was a heavy first responder presence in the wooded golf course and surrounding neighborhood. People from nearby houses were also standing on their lawns looking to see what was going on.
"It's one of the smaller ponds behind some houses on the golf course," Kocher said. "We've heard stories of kids on the ponds. It's posted, 'No swimming. No ice skating. Stay off the water.' But kids will be kids."
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Public safety experts say it’s almost impossible to tell whether an iced-over pond is safe to walk on, and it should be avoided.
"It's just tragic, especially on Christmas Eve. We've lived in this neighborhood 21 years," Kocher said.
Following the incident, Prince William County police issued a warning to stay off the ice in the area.
They also shared the following ice water safety tips if someone falls through ice:
- Call 911 immediately
- Try to keep the victim calm and tell them help is on the way
- Do not go onto the ice to rescue them
- Safely reach out to the victim by providing them something that will help them stay afloat or that can be used to pull them in, such as a branch, rope or hockey stick
“Ice recreation is best sought on skating rinks, pavilions, or other locations specifically designed for that purpose, and not the dangerous, naturally occurring ice that forms on area waters,” Prince William County Fire and Rescue Acting Fire Chief James Forgo said in a release.
Police were investigating why the man went onto the ice.
