Hometown heroes honored by Shelter Island Town Board

The Town Board recognized and honored first responders and Highway Department personnel for saving three individuals on Dec. 15 — two human, one canine — who would have drowned in the waters off Shell Beach if not for their heroic efforts.

Honored by the Town were Police Officer Glenn Kehl, Marine Patrol Officer Beau Payne, Police Officer Taylor Rando, Animal Control Officer Jenny Zahler, Highway Superintendent Ken Lewis Jr. and Highway Department employee Ronald Anderson and Wesley Congdon. Each of the rescuers received plaques from Deputy Town Supervisor Meg Larsen for their “actions under hazardous conditions, contributing to saving lives and reflecting the highest standards of public service.”

A letter from one of those saved, Lan My Do, who couldn’t be at the ceremony because of a work-related assignment, was read, thanking each of those who participated in the rescue with saving her life, the life of her friend Johnny Tran and her pet Archie. “I can always depend on my fellow Islanders,” she wrote.

As we reported a day after the rescue, it had started as a normal winter Monday for Ms. Do, who lives in Silver Beach with her husband Cary Tamarkin, as she got Archie, their one-and-half-year-old Labradoodle ready for a walk on Shell Bach. It was a bright but bitterly cold day with the temperature at 23 degrees and winds out of the north-northwest at 29 mph, making it feel more like 6 degrees.

At about 9:30 a.m., Archie bounded along the dunes and then headed out on the ice at the shoreline. He soon fell through the ice as Ms. Do watched helplessly, horrified from the beach as her dog struggled for his life about 100 feet offshore. She immediately called Officer Zahler, whom she knows, and Mr. Tamarkin. At home, Mr. Tamarkin said he called 911, threw on some clothes and headed for the beach. 

“I knew I shouldn’t go in,” Ms. Do said later. “Seeing Archie struggling for his life, though, I had to try and help him.”

At the same time as she went out carefully on the ice, their friend Mr. Tran, who often walks his dog on the beach, pulled up. 

Ms. Do found a long piece of wood and went gingerly out on the ice, hoping to use the wood for Archie to take in his mouth so she could guide him to safety. She described the stress of seeing her beloved pet panicking, scraping at the ice with his paws, the fear he was experiencing fighting to stay afloat in the water, which was reported to be 32 degrees, right at the freezing mark. 

On her stomach, moving slowly, the worst happened. The ice gave way under her and she was in the freezing water, and when she reached Archie he began fighting her. “I floated on my back and was screaming for help,” Ms. Do said. She was joined in the water by Mr. Tran, who had come to her aid, but now was in serious trouble himself. The friends were growing weaker by the moment. 

“It was the most horrendous, horrific thing you can imagine,” Mr.  Tamarkin said, as he watched his wife and friend in a life-or-death fight more than 30 yards offshore. As he was planning his next move, he said, “There were sirens, flashing lights and lots of people at the beach, ready to help.”

Chief Read said all Island departments responded to the scene, including Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services and the Highway Department. He noted that Highway Superintendent Lewis Jr. and employee Ron Anderson were essential figures in the rescue.

Officer Rando and Officer Zahler operated from land at Shell Beach, while Officer Kehl and Marine Patrol Officer Payne responded by police boat. “Working together, they were able to rescue both individuals and the dog, who had been in the water for approximately 15 to 20 minutes,” the chief said.

Mr. Tamarkin said, his voice breaking with emotion, that once on the beach, “Lan couldn’t move her body. She couldn’t talk.” Ms. Do and Mr. Tran were put in heated vehicles and evaluated by EMS personal and Fire Department volunteers who also helped with their care before being transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital.

ACO Zahler said Archie’s “body temperature had dropped several degrees below what’s normal for a dog.” She took him to Island veterinarian Dr. Nancy Mullady in the Center. “It’s important to warm animals, slowly,” the ACO said. “We dried him off as best we could with towels and let him heat up naturally in a warm room. After a few hours he was able to go home.”