A potentially tragic situation was avoided in Putnam County thanks to a local teen and the Sheriff's Department.

According to a press release from the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Deputy John Bradley responded to Lake Oscawana in Putnam Valley Wednesday night (January 23) after it was reported that a man was "screaming for help" at around 7:20 PM. While he was en route, 14-year-old boy scout and Putnam County Sheriff's cadet, Zachary Kuttruf, reportedly flagged down Deputy Bradley to get his attention.

From there, the two continued on to the part of the lake where police say 49-year-old Brendan Foran of Putnam Valley had fallen through the ice while riding his ATV. At that point, Foran was clinging to a rock and was believed to have been in the freezing water for about 10 minutes.

After Bruce and Jennifer Kuttruf, Zachary's parents, were unable to rescue Foran with a garden hose, Deputy Bradley tried to get closer to the man, but was unsuccessful, because the ice beneath him broke into the shallow water beneath his feet.

Police say Mrs. Kuttruf was then able to run into their nearby home to grab an extension cord, which was able to be thrown to both The cord was thrown to both Brendan Foran and Deputy Bradley. From there, Zachary, Bruce and Jennifer Kuttruf along with Deputy Bradley were all able to pull Foran to shore.

When more first responders arrived, they were able to get Mr. Foran into an ambulance that was waiting and he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

When speaking about the incident, Sgt. Thomas Lee of the Sheriff’s Department commented:

If not for the quick actions of Deputy Bradley, Brendan Foran could have died from this incident.

Deputy Bradley, on the other hand, gave most of the credit to the young man, Zachary Kuttruf.

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