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A heroic father used his final moments to save his six-year-old son after they fell through the ice while riding a snowmobile.
Bryan LaPlante, 33, and his son were ice fishing with Michael Booth, 48, on Chaumont Pond in upstate New York on Sunday when their snowmobile fell through the ice.
A family member told WWNY that LaPlante had managed to save his little boy by lifting him out of the water, but tragically was unable to get himself out.
LaPlante's father Patrick, 51, went out to the pond when the group failed to return home and discovered the horrifying scene.
Patrick frantically tried to get his son out of the water only to fall in himself. He was able to eventually get out but was unable to save his son or Booth.
He could not find the six-year-old boy at the scene. Patrick then returned home, only for the child to miraculously turn up shortly after, having walked two miles from the pond.
The grandfather and grandson were taken to the Clifton-Fine Hospital where they were treated for hypothermia.
Law enforcement later found LaPlante and Booth unresponsive in the water and tried desperately to save their lives. However they were both later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Bryan LaPlante and his son were ice fishing on Chaumont Pond in upstate New York on Sunday
LaPlante and Booth's (pictured) snowmobile fell through the ice
An investigation into their deaths is ongoing.
St. Lawrence County Emergency Services Director Richard Rusaw said there was fishing equipment floating in the open holes.
LaPlante's sister, Paige, said on Facebook that her brother 'died saving his son.'
'My nephew made it home because Boothy told him to follow the moon to get back to memes,' she wrote.
'Every single person in this story was a hero. I have never been more proud of every single one of them.'
Weather conditions in Clifton on Sunday saw light snow and ice fog. The temperature was around 25F at the time of the incident.
Parts of New York got more than two feet of snow last week as the Empire State braces for an arctic blast this week.
A helmet was seen on the frozen lake after the tragedy
Those downstate in the Tri-State Area are preparing for 10 inches of snow this weekend as cold temperatures spread through the Northeast.
The winter weather is expected to start on Sunday and continue into Monday.
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