Lynnfield teen saves skater who broke through pond ice

LYNNFIELD – An alert Lynnfield teenager used a canoe to save the life of an elderly local man who broke through the ice while skating on Pillings Pond Saturday morning.Authorities say John Caruso, 19, of Summer Avenue, was home when family members spotted the ice skater gliding across the pond and feared for the man’s safety. Minutes later, Caruso heard the man’s cries for help and tried to walk toward the hole but the ice was too soft. He retreated and commandeered a canoe, which he pushed to the victim.Fire Capt. Michael Feinberg said the rescuer was able to haul the victim ? Edward Sirois, 76, of Wing Road ? into the canoe. “The victim had been skating on the pond when he tripped and went face first into the water,” he said.Feinberg said firefighters, under the command of Capt. Kenneth Burnham, responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call at 11:19 a.m. “We got a call that a person had gone through the ice at Pillings Pond,” he said.When firefighters arrived with an engine, ambulance and inflatable boat, Caruso already had the victim ashore. “Despite how tippy a canoe can be, he was able to get the individual out of the water and into the boat,” said Feinberg. “We plan to give him credit where credit is due.”Sirois was transported to Union Hospital in Lynn in the Lynnfield Fire Department ambulance where he was treated for hypothermia and later released, police said.