Maine man dies after UTV breaches ice on pond – Boston News, Weather, Sports

SMITHFIELD, Maine (AP) — Authorities have recovered the body of a Maine man who died after the UTV he was driving broke through the ice covering a pond early Sunday.

Jeremiah Meader, 42, was driving in the UTV across Smithfield’s North Pond with his wife and two others around 1 a.m. Sunday morning when the vehicle broke through the ice, officials say.

Meader’s wife and the other two were able to get out of the vehicle before it went underwater, but Meader was unable to do so, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. His friend tried to dive down to find him but couldn’t reach him, officials said.

Fog and darkness prevented Meader’s wife and the other two from making their way off the ice, and they had to be rescued by rescue workers around 2:30 a.m. Rescuers were initially unable to find Meader in the water, but resumed the search around 7 a.m. and divers recovered his body.

“Ice conditions vary greatly across the state and everyone needs to check the ice before heading out,” Game Warden Sergeant Josh Bubier said in an emailed statement. “While in some areas the ice can be thick enough, in other areas it can be dangerously thin.”

(Copyright (c) 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed, or redistributed.)