Man killed trying to rescue dog on frozen pond

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 at 3:33 PM

By Staff report

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating after a man was recovered Monday from a pond in Elkhart County.
At approximately 4 p.m. Tuesday, emergency personnel were dispatched to a private pond near the 70000 block of County Road 29 in Syracuse.
The initial investigation revealed that Phillip Hoover, 69, was attempting to rescue his dog from the pond, which was covered with ice, when he fell through the ice.
Hoover was recovered from the pond by emergency personnel and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The dog was recovered and survived with no injuries.
Indiana Conservation Officers remind citizens to assume no ice is safe ice, test the ice before going on it, have safety measures in place, such as wearing a life jacket and having ice picks, and inform others before you go out.
Indiana Conservation Officers were assisted by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, Syracuse Police Department, New Paris Fire Department, Foraker Fire Department, Turkey Creek Fire Department, and the Elkhart County Coroner’s Office.