Teen jumps into icy lake to rescue 83-year-old man and dog trapped in Jeep

By Scott Stump

A 17-year-old high school athlete helped pull an 83-year-old man and his dog to safety after the man's Jeep fell through the ice in a scene caught on video.

Joe Salmon, a wrestler, football player and track athlete, jumped into the frigid water in Iowa's East Okoboji Lake to save Thomas Lee and his dog Cooper on Feb. 4, according to the Des Moines Register.

Four other men, Corey McConnell, Kody Harrelson, Cody Chester, and Chris Parks, also assisted in pulling Lee and his dog to safety, the Dickinson County Sheriff's office wrote on Facebook.

An 83-year-old man and his dog were rescued by a 17-year-old after his Jeep broke through the ice on a lake in Iowa.Dickinson County Sheriff's Office - Iowa via Facebook

The scene was captured via drone footage by photographer Tom Gustafson, who shared it on Facebook. It shows Salmon leaning through the back window to free the dog and toss it toward the four other men, who rescue the pooch after it briefly entered the water.

Salmon then climbs into the vehicle and makes his way to the front of the Jeep and pulls Lee out through the area of the back window, which he broke to help rescue them.

The Okoboji High School student was ice fishing and watching a nearby snowmobile race on the lake when he saw Lee's Jeep plunge into the ice around 3 p.m., according to the Des Moines Register. Lee was traveling to his son-in-law's fishing shack when the Jeep broke through the ice in the lake under the Highway 71 bridge in Dickinson County.

Thomas Lee's dog, Cooper, was able to quickly dry off at a nearby store after being rescued unscathed from an icy Iowa lake by a local high school athlete. Dickinson County Sheriff's Office - Iowa via Facebook

Salmon called 911 as he rushed to help Lee. He also quickly realized there was a dog in the back seat.

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Teen jumps into icy lake to rescue 83-year-old man and dog trapped in Jeep