February 5, 2022 – Fond du Lac, WI – On Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 2:29 p.m., the Fond du Lac County Communications Center received multiple 911 calls of a vehicle that had broken through the ice on Lake Winnebago, approximately ½ of a mile north of Frazier Point at Lakeside Park, in the City of Fond du Lac.
One of the callers was the operator and lone occupant of the vehicle. He indicated he was wet and attempting to make his way to a nearby ice shanty. Deputies from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office along with City of Fond du Lac Fire / Rescue and Wardens from the Wisconsin DNR responded to the scene and staged in both Lakeside East and Lakeside West.
With the assistance of a Good Samaritan and his UTV, deputies were able to make their way to the individual, who was a 51-year-old Fond du Lac man and bring him back to Lakeside West where he was evaluated by City of Fond du Lac Paramedics. Other than being extremely cold, he did not report any injuries and was released at the scene.
Through investigation it was determined the male had been traveling from west to east on Lake Winnebago and was negotiating around multiple large cracks on the southern end of the lake. While doing so he encountered an area of weak ice resulting in the vehicle breaking through. He was able to throw his phone out onto the ice and then climb out of his pickup truck after having the lower half of his body submerged in water. Once out of the water, he was able to call 911 while walking to a nearby ice shanty and took shelter alongside it to block the wind until being rescued.
The truck is completely submerged and was marked by GPS Coordinates. The owner has 30 days to have the vehicle removed.
Sergeant Logan Will
Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office
