In A First on 12 story, A Hazlet police officer turned hero Tuesday morning, crawling across thin ice to rescue a dog that fell into frigid water at Veterans Park – an incident captured on video.

The drama unfolded just before 10 a.m. when Taffy, a dog tasked with chasing geese away from the lake, spotted a goose and darted onto the ice.

Weakened by warmer temperatures, the ice gave way, plunging Taffy into the water. Hazlet Police Officer Doug Centrone, a member of the maritime emergency response team, responded to the call at 1776 Union Ave.

Video footage shows Centrone, dressed in cold-water gear, inching along on his belly to reach Taffy. After pulling the shivering dog from the water, he helped her back to the shoreline. Taffy stumbled once more but made it to safety, wet and cold but unharmed. Centrone was also uninjured.

Officials say this is believed to be the first water rescue at the park. The incident follows another act of heroism in Hazlet just one week ago, when two Department of Public Works employees aided an injured woman on the roadside, staying with her until help arrived.