TORONTO -- A 10-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after he saved his friend, who had fallen into icy Lake Ontario on Thursday night.

Alex Neto and his best friend Lucas Snelling were on the docks near the east side of the Hamilton Bay Sailing Club around 6:30 p.m. when one of the children slipped and fell into the water.

“I fell and broke right through the ice,” Snelling said. “I turned around real quick and grabbed the other edges.”

Snelling told CTV News Toronto that he couldn’t get out of the water. It was at that moment Neto reached out and grabbed his friend’s shoulders.

“I tried my hardest to pick him up but he is way heavier than me so I couldn’t, so I drag him to the shallow end, I help him break the ice, we can’t get there.”

Hamilton police said that “by a stroke of luck,” members of its service were patrolling the area and noticed a person in the lake.

When the officers arrived at the scene, one of the children was almost fully submerged and his friend was holding onto him, trying to keep him afloat.

“Police acted quickly and pulled the child out of the water,” investigators said in a news release issued Friday. “EMS attended and the boys were cleared from needing further medical attention.”

Neto said he was thankful police showed up when they did.

“We think it’s like a gift from God that they are finally here,” Neto said.

“It felt like a miracle,” Snelling added.

Snelling said that his parents are happy he is alive, but he has been grounded as a result of the incident.

In a news release issued Friday, police also issued a reminder to the public, warning others to stay aware of their surroundings when near icy surfaces.

“At this point, we strongly advise that everyone stay off any frozen bodies of water in our area. Keep children close and pets on a leash, remaining on marked pathways/trails,” police said.

Investigators also said that if someone falls through thin ice, the best thing to do is to call 911.

“Do not rush in after them,” police said. “You can try to reach for them with long objects like poles, branches, rope, or a hose.”