A 13-year-old boy in Woolwich Township, New Jersey, is still alive (and warm), thanks to the bold action of a few police officers.

On January 6, a boy fell through the ice of a retention pond around 4:30 p.m. When officers arrived, the boy had already been in the water for several minutes. Officers began throwing ropes for the boy to grab, but he couldn’t reach them. When the boy started screaming that he couldn’t feel anything, the sergeant on scene decided to try a more drastic approach.

“I think my fatherly instincts kicked in, and I just went out and got him,” Sergeant Joseph Rieger told WPVI.

Rieger managed to crawl across the thin ice and finally reached the boy. When he tried to pull him out of the water, though, the ice gave way. Fortunately, Rieger found that he could stand. Despite being immersed up to his shoulders, he grabbed the boy and began breaking his way through the ice back to the shore. Seeing his situation, several officers forced their way out to him. They helped him and the shivering boy get back to shore.

The teenager was given medical attention and, fortunately, appeared to be alright. The police department released a warning for community members to stay off the ice, as the officers involved presumably didn’t want to repeat their adventure that night.