MEREDITH, NEW HAMPSHIRE — Chief James McIntyre reports that a veteran Stoneham Police officer helped rescue a pilot from the water after the man’s ultralight glider plane crash landed into Lake Winnipesaukee Sunday afternoon.
WHEN:
At 8 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 9 Stoneham Police Officer Joe Ponzo will be available for interview via Zoom. To RSVP email ben@jgpr.net.
WHAT:
At approximately 3 p.m. Sunday, Stoneham Police Officer Joe Ponzo was off-duty with his family on vacation on a boat in Lake Winnipesaukee, when he observed an ultralight glider plane crash land into the lake.
Officer Ponzo called the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol Unit and notified them of the incident and then rushed his boat over to the scene of the crash and he and other boaters worked to pull the male pilot out of the water onto his boat. The man was conscious and alert.
Officer Ponzo was met on shore by members of the Marine Patrol Unit, the Laconia Fire Department, the Meredith Fire Department and Meredith Police Department. The man was then transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
“Thankfully we were in the right place at the right time,” Officer Ponzo said. “The plane sank into the water right after the crash and the man was able to get himself out before we got there. He was in the water and a few other boaters came to help me get him into my boat.”
Chief McIntyre credited Officer Ponzo with saving the man’s life.
“Even off-duty on vacation with our families we are never truly off the job when duty calls,” Chief McIntyre said. “Officer Ponzo is a 23-year veteran of the Stoneham Police Department and he was the right person to be there when this man needed help. We credit Joe with helping to save this man’s life and springing into action when he saw someone in need.”
Any further inquiries about the incident should be referred to the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol Unit.
https://jgpr.net
According to state police, around 3 p.m. Marine Patrol Officer Zachary Cobis was on patrol on the lake when he was flagged down by a passing boater reporting a plane crash.
Cobis located the pilot, who had been pulled from the water by other boaters across from Grouse Point in Meredith Bay. He was identified as David Grapes, 78.
Stoneham Police Officer Joe Ponzo was off-duty with his family on vacation on a boat in Lake Winnipesaukee, when he saw the ultralight glider plane crash-land.
Ponzo called Marine Patrol and notified them of the crash, then steered his boat over to the area where the plane went down. He and other boaters worked to pull Grapes out of the water and onto his boat. Grapes was conscious and alert.
Ponzo was met on shore by members of the Marine Patrol Unit, the Laconia Fire Department, the Meredith Fire Department and Meredith Police Department. Grapes, who was the plane’s sole occupant, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia.
“Thankfully we were in the right place at the right time,” Ponzo said in a statement. “The plane sank into the water right after the crash and the man was able to get himself out before we got there. He was in the water and a few other boaters came to help me get him into my boat.”
Stoneham, Mass., Police Chief James McIntyre credited Off. Ponzo with saving the man’s life.
“Even off-duty on vacation with our families we are never truly off the job when duty calls,” Chief McIntyre said in a statement. “Officer Ponzo is a 23-year veteran of the Stoneham Police Department and he was the right person to be there when this man needed help. We credit Joe with helping to save this man’s life and springing into action when he saw someone in need.”
The ultralight plane sank in approximately 65 feet of water, Cobis reported.
According to state police, the ultralight was approximately 1,000 feet above the bay when the engine stopped.
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Federal Aviation Administration were notified of the incident.
The crash remains under investigation.
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