Jacob Sander

Jacob Sander helped save Kristin Barbiea from drowning, Florence, Kentucky, January 12, 2025. About an hour after sunset Barbiea, 47, was walking her dogs near a partially ice-covered pond at the center of her apartment complex when her leashed goldendoodle escaped her grasp. The dog then ran onto the ice before falling into a 30- foot diameter hole in the ice about 100 feet from the bank. Barbiea attempted to retrieve the dog, fearing it might drown. She successfully reached the dog and pulled it up and onto the ice, but the ice broke beneath her feet, sending her and the dog into the water. Unable to grasp the edge of the crumbling ice sheet, Barbiea called out for help while simultaneously attempting to keep herself and the dog above water. After Barbiea struggled for about 10 minutes, a neighbor heard her and phoned 911. On duty nearby, Sander, 30, police officer, responded to the scene. While assessing the situation, Sander was informed that responding officers had rescue ropes, but he observed Barbiea submerge briefly and felt she might drown if he did not intervene. Fully clothed, Sander then walked onto the ice, breaking through it twice, before locating a solid patch. Sander then laid flat on the ice and army crawled to Barbiea. Once there, he grasped her and unsuccessfully attempted to remove her. Meanwhile, a responding sheriff’s sergeant arrived on scene. With Sander calling out instructions to him, the sergeant followed Sander’s path across the ice on his hands and knees. Once at Sander and Barbiea, the sergeant grasped Sander’s right boot and, with Sander pulling on Barbiea in the water, they successfully pulled her up and onto the ice. Sander and the sergeant then stood and each grasped one of her arms before dragging her across the ice to shallow water near the bank, where emergency personnel helped them move her to safety on land. Barbiea was transported to the hospital, where emergency personnel cut off her water-soaked clothing before providing her with heated blankets. Sander was cold as a result of the rescue but was otherwise unharmed.

2025-0000035-10519