STATE OF VERMONT 

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY 

VERMONT STATE POLICE 

CASE#: 23A2000713

RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Trooper Benjamin Weed

STATION: VSP St. Albans

CONTACT#: 802-524-5993

DATE/TIME: 7:10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023

INCIDENT LOCATION: Keeler Bay, South Hero, VT

VICTIMS: Names withheld pending notification of next of kin

AGE:

CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE:

SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:

The Vermont State Police is investigating after two ice fishermen fell through the ice Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, on Lake Champlain in South Hero. One of the fishermen has died, while the other was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. His condition is currently unknown.

Emergency crews received a report at about 7:10 a.m. that an enclosed side-by-side UTV was operating on Keeler Bay when the vehicle broke through the ice. First responders learned that two people were in the UTV at the time. One individual, a 71-year-old man from Williamstown, was pulled from the water, brought to shore by the South Hero Fire Department, received emergency medical care and was taken by ambulance to UVMMC. The second individual, an 88-year-old man from East Montpelier, was subsequently located inside the UTV by a diver from Colchester Technical Rescue and was pronounced deceased on scene.

The names of the individuals involved will be released following notification of relatives.

The initial response was coordinated by the Grand Isle County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the Vermont State Police. Agencies participating in the effort included Colchester Technical Rescue; fire departments from Alburgh, Grand Isle, Isle La Motte, North Hero and South Hero; Milton and South Hero rescue squads; the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife; and the Vermont State Police Field Force Division, Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Victim Services Unit.

First responders reported encountering difficult conditions on Keeler Bay due to the condition of the ice, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising the public to stay off the ice on Lake Champlain this weekend due to unsafe conditions.

No further information is available at this time. The state police will provide updates as the investigation continues.

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