These 2 Gorgeous Male Models Are Also Real-Life Heroes
In a story straight out of a fairy tale, two beautiful male models became actual lifesavers when they rescued seven young people from drowning in a pond in New York City’s Central Park just before nightfall on Monday, according to NBC News.
The dashing duo, Bennett Jonas of San Clemente, Calif., and Ethan Turnbull of Sydney, Australia, were skateboarding nearby when they saw the kids, who were dancing on top of the ice, suddenly plunge into the water. Officials estimate the pond could be as deep as 18 feet.
The weather in New York City hit an unseasonably high 54 degrees on Presidents’ Day, causing the frozen lake to thaw and the ice to break beneath the unsuspecting group of kids, who range in age from 10 to the teens, according to the local NBC report. “I look over. I saw six heads just trying to get to the shore,” Jonas told reporters in a trembling voice, noting that he had jumped into the pond and passed the children to Turnbull, who was standing nearby to lift them onto solid ground.
“The last one I didn’t think I was going to be able to get to,” Jonas said. “He was … the only thing you could see was the back zipper of his backpack.
“I grabbed the backpack,” Jonas continued, visibly shaken and wearing an FDNY sweatshirt that first responders gave him so he could change out of his freezing, wet clothes. ” I didn’t know if there was a body on it, and we pulled him out from under the water and put him on shore, and he was … I mean, I didn’t know if he was alive or not.” Turnbull added that the last child they rescued was unconscious by the time Jonas passed him off to safety.
Miraculously, Jonas and Turnbull had rescued all seven victims by the time police officers arrived at the pond’s location on 59th Street and Central Park South, according to NBC News. Emergency Medical Service personnel acted immediately, giving first aid to the victims, according to NBC News — some with minor injuries and hypothermia. Professional divers were also on hand to enter the pond and make sure no one was left behind.
New York City Fire Department Deputy Chief John Schof said this incident is a cautionary tale that illustrates the dangers of walking on top of frozen ponds. “When the ice is somewhat thicker, it may work because it distributes people’s weight, but on this ice, it was very thin, and it’s not going to hold anything,” Schof told reporters.
One of the survivors, 13-year-old Kevin McQueen, admitted that he and his friends ignored posted signs warning people not to step on the icy lake. Instead, they “threw stuff” at the ice, and when it didn’t break, they went for it. “We were going to take a picture on the ice, and then one of my friends slipped, and then once he fell, we all fell in the water,” McQueen told CBS News.
The lucky seven were “freezing and terrified” before the two models stepped in to save them, according to CBS News, and McQueen was taken to the hospital and treated for hypothermia. “I want to thank that gentleman for saving my little brother and saving the other kids,” McQueen’s sister, Noemi Rosario, told CBS News.
In a moment of levity, an NBC reporter asked the handsome pair, “Did you two know each other before today?” Jonas lit up, threw his arm around Turnbull, smiled, and said, “Yeah, we’re best buds!”
On his Facebook profile, Turnbull proudly posted a link to the story of his and Jonas’s heroic turn. Another bit of info we found on his page? He’s single … but we’re guessing not for long.
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