TEAMwork: Shrewsbury police officers for saving life of man stuck neck-deep in pond mud

SHREWSBURY – It took seconds for Justin Schmautz to find himself trapped in mud at Flint Pond on a freezing day in February, but it also took seconds for local police officers to pull him out into safety.

However, the minutes in between make the 24-year-old from Shrewsbury remember Feb. 13 as one of the worst days of his life.

Schmautz, who credits the four responding Shrewsbury police officers with saving his life, thanked them on Wednesday at the police department, where the officers were honored for the rescue.

At the gathering, police Officers Dillon Zona, Tyler Vlass and Alex Desimone and Sgt. Mark Sklut were recognized with the Worcester District Attorney’s Team Excellence and Merit (TEAM) Award, which recognizes outstanding service by those in public safety.

“I was up to my neck in mud when they got there,” said Schmautz. “The mud was compressing against my chest and my body, and I was seeing the light pretty much.

“These guys saved my life, and I can't thank them enough.”

Schmautz, an AAA roadside assistance technician from Shrewsbury, was on a day off by Flint Pond with his girlfriend operating a remote-controlled boat when at about noon, the boat was stuck about 20 feet from the shore.

Refusing to budge, the 4-foot-long boat looked like it was out of the reach of Schmautz’s control.

Seeing no other options, Schmautz took off his shoes and started trudging through the mud toward the boat.

As he got closer, Schmautz started to sink. First he was shin-deep. Then the mud rose to the waist. Finally, it was up to his neck.

'Like quicksand'

“It was like quicksand,” remembered Schmautz as he spoke to the room at the Shrewsbury Police Department.

Panic ensued and Schmautz was losing mobility in the below-40-degree mud where the sunny February day proved to be colder than thought.

His girlfriend, who was watching from the shore, also wanted to go in, but hearing Schmautz rebut as he held his phone with his mouth, she called 911.

While waiting for help to arrive, Schmautz felt his body numbing in the cold water, which he described as piercing his skin like “needles.”

Hypothermic and out of options, he said he started to think he was going to die.

“I definitely was at that point,” said Schmautz. “I was in shock, and I was just thinking about my girlfriend, thinking about my mother and my brother and my dad, my friends, and I was freaking out.”

Help arrives

Schmautz said he felt relief when he saw police cruisers pulling up to the shore after about 10 to 15 minutes of being in the mud.

Desimone, who was there first, tried to reach Schmautz by walking through the mud. Realizing that he would also get stuck, he walked back out to shore to grab a ResQ Disc – a Frisbee-like device used to help people trapped in water.

Back in the mud, Desimone threw the disc toward Schmautz, who made the catch on a second try. Using a nearby tree as a pulley, Desimone, Zona, Vlass and Sklut pulled Schmautz at the shore and out of danger.

“When situations like this occur, you just let your training take over,” said Zona on Wednesday. “We had a good idea when he showed up knowing ‘This is going to be a quickly evolving situation. We're going to have to act to make sure that it doesn't get any worse.’ ”

Only one year on the job, 24-year-olds Zona and Vlass said this was the first time they used a water safety procedure in a real situation.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., who created the TEAM Award in 2019 to recognize public safety employees who “go above and beyond the call of duty,” handed the award to the officers in a room that cheered and applauded.

“A lot of things happen day in and day out that make the job feel thankless,” said Vlass. “This award at least makes you feel recognized.”

No other water emergencies are known to have happened at Flint Pond, according to police Chief Kevin Anderson, who was also at the gathering on Wednesday.

Schmautz said he still has the RC boat, which was eventually captured and given back to him by EMS personnel who used boats.

Although he added that he will probably avoid running the boat on the same pond again and will likely go back to using Lake Quinsigamond, his usual destination.

“Now I think things through a little more, I prepare myself a little better and always be with someone,” said Schmautz with a laugh. “Thank God my girlfriend was there.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Shrewsbury police officers honored for saving man's life at Flint Pond