A community is reeling after two men died during an ice fishing trip. Bryan LaPlante was out on a frozen lake with his friend and young son when the incident happened. Right now, details about the fishing trip have not been released. All we know is that both LaPlante and his friend fell into the icy cold water. He was able to save his son, but sadly, he could not save himself. LaPlante was later found by his father, who tried to save him before falling into the water himself. The older man was able to get out and safely return home, but shortly after he got there, he was surprised by the arrival of his grandson.
New York State Police responded to a report of individuals riding on a snowmobile who had fallen through the ice about 7:40 p.m. January 18, 2026, a news release shared.
Three people had gone ice fishing on Chaumont Pond, which is connected to the Oswegatchie River. They were identified as 33-year-old Bryan LaPlante, 48-year-old Michael Booth, and an unnamed 6-year-old boy.
When the three had not returned from their ice fishing trip, Patrick LaPlante, 51, went to check on them. While searching, he found Bryan LaPlante, who had fallen through the ice, but the father fell into the water himself and couldn’t retrieve him.
Shortly after Patrick LaPlante got back home to warm up, the 6-year-old boy arrived, having walked from the frozen lake, WWNY reported. Both were taken to the hospital with hypothermia.
Rescue crews reported to the scene and were able to find Bryan LaPlante and Booth, who were both unresponsive. Although they were taken to the hospital with CPR being performed, they were both declared dead.
“There was ice fishing equipment that was floating in one of the open holes,” St. Lawrence County Emergency Services Director Richard Rusaw told WWNY. A person close to the situation shared with the outlet that the boy was Bryan LaPlante’s son and Patrick LaPlante’s grandson.
The boy was rescued by his father from the water and walked nearly two miles to his grandfather’s home to get help for his dad, not knowing his grandfather had already gone to the lake.
“They were members of our community and belonged to hunting clubs with some of the members, so it’s tough. Absolutely, we’re looking at doing a stress debrief for all those that were involved,” Rusaw said.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to New York State Police.
