Louisville's mayor honors teen who rescued girls who fell through ice at McNeely Lake

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg honored a Louisville teenager who rescued two girls after they fell through ice at McNeely Lake Park in southeast Jefferson County earlier this month.

Earlier this month, 17-year-old Brandon Malone and his girlfriend heard the two teens calling for help while they were visiting the park.

"I've got to hand it to you, Brandon, you saw people in need, and your first instinct was to help them," Greenberg said during a ceremony Tuesday morning.

"... You exemplify what us in Louisville are all about, and so, today, we're happy to proclaim you a Distinguished Citizen."

The two teens had broken through the ice and were struggling to stay afloat when Malone risked his life to save them.

"I just came running over," Malone told WDRB's Richard Essex in an interview last week. "Didn’t even think about it. Did it."

Malone, a senior at DeSales High School, started onto the ice, but it didn’t hold.

"At that point, when I fell in, that’s when it kind of hit me — this is a fight-or-flight moment," Malone said. "So I got up under the ice (and) pushed it up."

Though the lake was shallow, the water was freezing. Malone struggled through the ice, pushing up from the lake bottom to break a path forward. Nearby, a boot and gloves left behind in the ice marked the girls' struggle.

McNeely Lake Park ice rescue — Pictured: this frame grab taken from video shows a boot and sock near the spot at McNeely Lake where DeSales senior Brandon Malone went into the freezing water to save two girls who had fallen in. (WDRB image)

"The water was so cold," Malone said. "I needed to get out of there. We needed to get out of there."

Despite the fear that crept in, Malone kept going, thinking of his family and determined to get the girl to safety.

"I was motivated," he said. "And worst comes to worst, I wanted her out. That's the honest truth."

Malone managed to get both teens out of the water just as fire department crews were arriving.

Greenberg jokingly invited Malone to become a lifeguard at one of the city's two new pools in the Algonquin and Camp Taylor neighborhoods — during warmer weather.

Besides being honored with the Distinguished Citizen award, Malone given two free tickets to a show of his choice at the Iroquois Park Amphitheater.

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Louisville's mayor honors teen who rescued girls who fell through ice at McNeely Lake