Warning Issued After Fox Becomes Trapped on Ice at the Jersey Shore

Warning Issued After Fox Becomes Trapped on NJ Ice

Photo Credit: Seaside Park Station 45 Volunteer Fire Company

Warning Issued After Fox Becomes Trapped on Ice at the Jersey Shore

This weekend, authorities warned the public to stay out of the bay and off the ice. This warning was issued after Seaside Park firefighters attempted to rescue a fox that was discovered stranded in a bay in Seaside Park.

According to a post on Facebook, on Saturday, January 18 at 1137 hours Station 45 was alerted to the presence of a fox on a floating jet ski dock in Barnegat Bay, near the channel.

A team of rescue swimmers from both Stations 45 and 44 launched two jet skis and a boat from the bay front in an attempt to rescue the fox.

Conditions in the middle of the bay are extremely dangerous, the ice from the bay front broke free and is shifting towards the mainland.

The fox disappeared by Sunday morning, according to authorities, but the ice sheet it was on was last observed drifting north with the tide.

To find out if the animal made it back to shore, crews were getting ready to search.

Firefighters at Seaside Park warned the public not to try their own water rescue because the waters were cold enough to induce hypothermia. According to officials, strong currents were thought to be flowing beneath the ice, making it unstable for anyone attempting to rescue the animal.

Firefighters wrote on social media Sunday that "anyone who fell into the water without the proper equipment would quickly succumb to hypothermia and possibly drown."