Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple Sr. is reminding people to use caution when venturing onto lakes and other bodies of water after police and emergency personnel responded to an incident involving a motorcycle plunging through thin ice.
Sheriff’s deputies and rescue personnel responded to Thompson’s Lake in Berne on Friday, Dec. 27, after a motorcycle reportedly fell through the ice. Police said two individuals, a 25-year old Coeymans resident and a 23-year old Selkirk resident were allegedly drag racing on the ice that night and one motorcyclist hit a “soft patch” causing the bike to go underwater.
The motorcycle riders were uninjured but arrangements needed to be made to remove the motorcycle from the frigid water. The state Environmental Police were also called to assist with clean up efforts.
“Everyone was rescued unharmed and never actually entered the water,” Apple said in a statement. “People need to be aware of their surroundings and added that everyone who does venture onto ice should have proper buoyancy protection such as life vests.”
The Sheriff’s Office said stretches of cold weather occurring early this season likely lead many people to believe that ice is thicker than it really is. Police said recent warm weather had drastically melted the lake’s ice and warned ice conditions “are always difficult to predict.”