Crews rescue 14-year-old girl stranded on chunk of ice

The family of a 14-year-old girl is praising rescuers after the teen fell into icy, 30-degree waters off the New Jersey coast. Crews responded Tuesday to save the stranded girl and two others -- a dramatic event a local news helicopter caught on video, reports CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano.

Dressed from head to toe in orange survival suits, firefighters shuttled the girl across the ice on a sled while battling the ocean's dangerously cold water and enormous blocks of ice.

"It was a little chilly. It's hard work. It's a lot of slush. The ice is all broken, so it floats around," firefighter Jack Hueston said. "Luckily today it wasn't windy. If it's windy, sometimes the ice moves even more."

The girl managed to climb out of the water and onto a chunk of ice to which she clung for 20 minutes while rescue squads raced to the scene.

"I think the two young ladies were out playing on the ice and found themselves in a bad situation," Hueston said.

Rescuers were able to reach the teen and lift her from the water. She was wrapped in a towel and carried to an ambulance.

On a nearby jetty, the victim's friend and her mother who had tried to help the girl were also trapped. A second team of firefighters crawled across the ice to reach them, slipping and falling back into the water. They slowly made their way back across the frozen jetty to shore.

"None of the ice in New Jersey is safe ice. People just gotta stay off the ice," Hueston said.

The girl who fell into the water was treated for possible hypothermia at the hospital and released. Her father said he's thankful for the volunteers who risked their lives to help save his daughter.