Budd Lake Search For Missing Teens, Thought To Have Fallen Through Ice, Continues

Rescue crews resumed their search Tuesday morning for two teenagers believed to have fallen through the ice at Budd Lake in Mount Olive Township, N.J.

William Hardy, 25, told NJ.com that he heard screams for help coming from the lake at around 6:20 p.m. Monday. Hardy called police before heading out on the lake himself to see what was going on.

Hardy walked about 700 feet onto the ice before it began to crack and he was unable to go farther. He said he heard screams of "Please help me, I don't want to die," and shouted back that help was on the way.

Two male teenagers, one high school freshman and one sophomore, have been reported missing.

“We can’t speak definitively and hope maybe [the missing boys] are just hanging out at someone’s house," Mount Olive Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larrie Reynolds told the Daily Record. But what we’re fearing is sad and we’re clinging to a hope that maybe they’re not on the lake."

According to NJ 1015, the father of one of the teens believes that his son rode his bike on the lake to rescue his friend, who had fallen through the ice while walking.

First responders scoured Budd Lake for hours Monday night but were unable to find anyone.

Budd Lake, the largest natural lake in the state, is 4.5 square miles in area and is 12 feet deep at its deepest point, according to NorthJersey.com. Police told the website that residents commonly walk on the lake when it is frozen in winter.