Halifax Boys Meet State Police Who Rescued Them from Swamp

Two Halifax boys who found themselves stuck in a muddy swamp in December got a chance Wednesday to meet the state troopers who helped rescue them.

Drew Coveney and Jake Waterman, both 12, said they were forced to take off their shoes and socks after falling in the swampy water. As darkness fell, they continued trying to find their way out, becoming more scared as night fell.

“We fell in and it was waist deep in some areas. When we fell in the water, our shoes got colder and colder so after awhile it was better to have them off then to keep on the shoes since they were waterlogged,” Drew said during a press conference inside a Plymouth Airport hangar.

Massachusetts State Police used a helicopter to conduct an air search to find the boys and they were able to locate them in minutes.

Rescuing them, however, took many more hours and involved a ground search by Halifax police. Costa and Trooper John Pina, who was the pilot, said if they weren’t able to talk to the boys through cellphone communication they might’ve not been successful.