Hero schoolboy died 'trying to rescue three strangers in frozen lake', family reveal in heartfelt tribute

12 December 2022, 21:51 | Updated: 13 December 2022, 15:16

A heroic schoolboy died in a frozen lake while trying to rescue his three other boys who had fallen through the ice, his aunt has claimed.

Jack Johnson was one of three boys who died after being submerged in the freezing water in the Babbs Mill Park lake outside Birmingham.

The two other victims were aged 11 and 8, while a six-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital. All four suffered cardiac arrests in the icy water, West Midlands police said.

Jack reportedly heard the screams of the other boys and ran to their help, before falling in himself.

Three children dead after falling into icy lake

Paying tribute to her nephew, Jack's aunt said on Facebook: "The 10-year-old boy is my nephew. He saw one go threw the ice and he ran and tried to save them. 

"Our prayers and thoughts are with the other family. We are just broken over it.

"My nephew seen one go through the ice and he ran and tried to save them. We are just broken over it and to find out he died trying to save three lads he didn't even know, that just sums him up, he was amazing."

A friend of one of the boys told a similar story. Tommy Barnet told Sky News: "They were all playing on the ice, one got their legs stuck in the ice and then… his friends went to go and save him, but they all fell in."

Meanwhile a family friend said that Jack's grandfather had rushed down to the lake in a bid to rescue his grandson.

Dale Hewitt told the Telegraph: "It's just heartbreaking for the family and this will have a massive impact on the whole community.

"I also know the grandfather of two of the kids involved.

"I heard that he ran down from where he lives and jumped into the lake to try to save them."

A vigil was held on Monday evening to pay tribute to "the little kings who lost their lives." Locals left cards and flowers for the four boys who died. One note named one of the victims as 'Thomas'.

The tribute read: "To my friend Thomas, thanks for being there for me."Thanks for lending me your jacket when I was cold. You were like a brother to me.

"I miss you so much. Love from Mason."

The victims’ families are “absolutely devastated”, West Midlands police said, and officers asked for their privacy to be respected.

Marcus Brain, the chairman of the board of governors at nearby St Anthony's School, told Birmingham Live: "One of our children has passed away. 

"I have spoken to the family but I'm doing the communication through the school."

Mr Brain added: "The staff are absolutely devastated. The lad was a lovely boy. Everybody is in bits. We're all in shock, what's happened is unbelievable."

A West Midlands Police statement said: "Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon.

"The boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, were rushed to hospital after being pulled from the water.

|Sadly, they could not be revived and our thoughts are with their family and friends at thisdeeply devastating time. We'll have specialist officers offering them as much support as we can.

"A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

"We've been working alongside colleagues from the fire and ambulance services as we do all we can to support those involved."

Police officer treated for hypothermia after Solihull rescue effort

Searches of the lake are continuing as we seek to establish exactly what happened and if anyone else fell into the water.

"We understand how distressing this is for the families and the wider community."We would ask people to not speculate or share any video footage at this stage."

A search of the lake continued overnight after reports up to six children had fallen in, but police had said it was "no longer a search and rescue operation".