Teen rescues 2 boys who fell into icy Lake Afton in Bucks County

By Dan Cuellar

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    YARDLEY, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — A Bucks County teenager found another use for his hockey stick when he jumped into action after two boys fell into a Yardley Lake.

Cory Hemberger, 16, of Middletown Township, said he was playing pond hockey on the frozen Lake Afton around 5 p.m. Sunday with his friend Shawn Miller.

They were about to head home when they heard screams for help. The teens saw a 13-year-old male had fallen through the ice into the frigid waters and his friend was trying to reach him.

“He was screaming for help. His friend tried to help him and he ended up going in with him,” recalled Cory.

Cory says something told him to go help and he rushed towards the two with his hockey stick.

“I was kind of just in the moment. My adrenaline was going. My heart was pumping, so I just went for it and just hoped God was with me,” said Cory.

Shawn’s father, Tim Miller, says he was sitting in his truck nearby when he heard all the commotion.

“I jumped out of my truck and started running down the trail and called 911 as I’m going,” said Tim.

Cory decided to use his hockey stick to try to reach the pair but then heard a noise.

“Right when I was on the edge reaching my stick out, I could hear the ice cracking so I said, ‘Alright, we gotta do this quick so I don’t fall in, too,” said Cory.

Cory was able to rescue the young teen and his friend. Once out of the frigid water, they were shaken and shivering but declined medical attention.

Cory’s mother, Lisa Hemberger, didn’t learn the extent of what had happened until the next day when she saw a post on Facebook.

“‘All superheroes don’t wear capes, some play ice hockey,'” Lisa said. “I’m like, “Oh, my kids play ice hockey, let me look at that.”

She soon realized the message was posted by the mother of one of the boys that Cory had rescued.

Lisa reached out to the mother to say it was her son Cory who rescued the boys.

“She wanted to just thank me for his heroic efforts, and that her son’s OK, and without Cory being there she doesn’t know what would’ve happened,” Lisa said.

The mother wanted to know if she could buy something for Cory to say thanks.

“I said, ‘I don’t need anything,'” Cory said. “Because I know if I was in that situation, I would want somebody to help me too.”

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