A nitwit doing donuts on a frozen lake at the Jersey Shore sparked a needless rescue effort when his pickup truck crashed through the ice, infuriating local officials for putting first responders at risk.
“Stupidity at its finest,” Eagleswood Township Mayor Michael Pasternak told NBC Philadelphia.
“It’s not something you should be doing.”
Video circulating on social media shows the truck doing several spins around the icy surface of the lake Jan. 31 before its rear-end appears to slip beneath the surface.
The 44-year-old driver, whose name was not released by police, ditched the truck after it sank on a body of water at the Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area around 30 miles south of Atlantic City.
He didn’t have a valid license and never reported the late-night incident, the outlet writes.
Even though the submerged vehicle was empty, rescuers were called to the scene the next morning, forcing three volunteer fire companies, two water rescue teams, a dive team and EMS workers to scour the frigid depths for passengers.
“They’re responding to a call where there may be a victim and, until they’re told otherwise, they have to treat it that way,” Pasternak said.
Parkertown Volunteer Fire Company Captain Frank Runza, Jr. told the outlet that the driver’s stunt put lives at risk.
“It’s about more than you. You know, when you commit an act like this, when you do something like this, there’s a lot of other lives on the line,” he said.
“It’s about more than you.”
The man was issued summonses for several motor vehicle offenses including reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
As of Feb. 5, it was not yet known if authorities plan on removing the truck from the lake.
NJ State Police did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for more information, including the driver’s identity.
