The family of a boy who emergency responders pulled from an icy pond last night has confirmed his death Thursday morning.
According to information from a GoFundme page, the family announced that David Tillburg died from his injuries at University Hospital in Newark sometime overnight.
"Last night we lost my nephew David, in a tragic accident. He fell through the ice in a lake at the park. I can’t begin to tell you how distraught we all are," the family said in a statement.
In the second water rescue of the evening, Middlesex County emergency responders took over an hour to pull a boy out of an icy pond in Carteret on Thursday evening.
According to a statement released by Carteret's Mayor Dan Reiman, two teenage boys were trapped under ice after they fell into the Carteret Pond shortly before 5:07 p.m.
Mayor Reiman said one of the boys was able to pull himself out, but emergency responders and rescue crews worked frantically to pull the second teen from the water.
David's family said, "He had his whole life ahead of him and I am beside myself as I type this message. He just went out to play with his friend and tragedy struck. We will never get to hear his voice or see his smiling face again. All we have now are memories".
The incident remains under investigation.