Man found dead in frozen drainage pond in Edgewater

EDGEWATER, Md. - Deep below the icy water in an Edgewater neighborhood drainage pond, police found the body of a 28-year-old man, now identified as Justin Paul Raddie of the 900 block of Echo Bay Court in Gambrills.

"I did see them pulling a dead body out of the water," said Manuel Garcia, a neighbor.

According to investigators, a woman walking her dog on the trail around the pond called police after she noticed these two holes in the ice. They stood out because she is familiar with the area and hasn't noticed them before.

Rescue crews, including dive teams, were called in to scour the water. After just 15 minutes, they found Raddie's body six feet below.

"There was one of the person's shoes on land and the other shoe was found on the ice but not in the water near where the ice is made," said Capt. James Ross, Anne Arundel Co. Fire Dept.

Firefighters say the ice is only about an inch thick, not strong enough to hold a person's weight. However, neighbors say this isn't the first time they've heard of people being out on the pond in the winter.

"It was always my fear that this would happen. Not often does the river freeze enough to hold a body, in my opinion. I was always very scared," said Garcia.

Raddie's body has been taken to the medical examiner's office, but police do not know how he ended up in the water yet. Fire officials are once again reminding everyone to stay off the ice.