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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/10-year-old-lake-ontario-drowning-1.5404378
Dec 20, 2019
"A 10-year-old boy believes a guardian angel gave him the strength to keep his best friend's head above the surface after he fell into the frigid water of Hamilton Harbour.
The two Grade 5 students were alone when one tumbled into the icy water Thursday night. But Alex Neto, who police are praising for saving his friend from drowning, says he felt the presence of a third friend who passed away years ago, helping him hold on.
After school Thursday Alex and his buddy Lucas Snelling headed down by Macassa Bay to check out a fort hidden in some trees near the shoreline. Following some exploring, Snelling decided to sit on the dock and dangle his feet over the icy water below.
But when he tried to stand up he slipped, falling into the bay.
"I didn't mean to slip in," explained Lucas. "The water was so cold it was just getting to me. I was trying to break the ice so I could get to the shallow end and pull myself up."
"Alex Neto says he wasn't going to let go of his friend, no matter what happened. 0:33
Alex saw his friend fall and sprinted to save him.
"He's way heavier than me so I tried to pick him up, but I can't," he said. Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed hold of Lucas with one hand and a fence behind him and began dragging him toward shore.
"It was really hard to carry him for that long, but I said I'm not going to let go because he's my friend and I don't want him to drown."
Police are crediting Alex for his quick actions, but the 10-year-old said he thinks someone else was there with him, giving him the strength he needed.
Lucas and Alex were both friends with a boy named Nicolas Machado who died two years ago.
"We think [he's] our guardian angel," said Alex. "I think we got power to break the ice to get through. He helped me carry him."
A plaque bearing Machado's photo and name hangs in the hallway at St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary School, where the boys met."
A plaque with a photo of Nicolas Machado and a poem about angels hangs in the hallway at St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary School. (Dan Taekema/CBC)
Dec 20, 2019
"A 10-year-old boy believes a guardian angel gave him the strength to keep his best friend's head above the surface after he fell into the frigid water of Hamilton Harbour.
The two Grade 5 students were alone when one tumbled into the icy water Thursday night. But Alex Neto, who police are praising for saving his friend from drowning, says he felt the presence of a third friend who passed away years ago, helping him hold on.
After school Thursday Alex and his buddy Lucas Snelling headed down by Macassa Bay to check out a fort hidden in some trees near the shoreline. Following some exploring, Snelling decided to sit on the dock and dangle his feet over the icy water below.
But when he tried to stand up he slipped, falling into the bay.
"I didn't mean to slip in," explained Lucas. "The water was so cold it was just getting to me. I was trying to break the ice so I could get to the shallow end and pull myself up."
"Alex Neto says he wasn't going to let go of his friend, no matter what happened. 0:33
Alex saw his friend fall and sprinted to save him.
"He's way heavier than me so I tried to pick him up, but I can't," he said. Not knowing what else to do, he grabbed hold of Lucas with one hand and a fence behind him and began dragging him toward shore.
"It was really hard to carry him for that long, but I said I'm not going to let go because he's my friend and I don't want him to drown."
Police are crediting Alex for his quick actions, but the 10-year-old said he thinks someone else was there with him, giving him the strength he needed.
Lucas and Alex were both friends with a boy named Nicolas Machado who died two years ago.
"We think [he's] our guardian angel," said Alex. "I think we got power to break the ice to get through. He helped me carry him."
A plaque bearing Machado's photo and name hangs in the hallway at St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary School, where the boys met."
A plaque with a photo of Nicolas Machado and a poem about angels hangs in the hallway at St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary School. (Dan Taekema/CBC)
