HIGHTSTOWN, N.J. — A Maine man and his pit bull dog were rescued by police after they became trapped in a frigid New Jersey lake, authorities said.

Jason M. Taylor, 43, of Camden, was walking his dog along Peddie Lake in Hightstown when the dog unexpectedly jumped into the water Wednesday night, authorities said.

Taylor went into the lake and soon guided the dog back toward the shore, but he couldn’t hoist the 70-pound animal over a seven-foot stone wall around that part of the lake.

Taylor began yelling for help, and police were soon called to the scene. Two officers found him around 8:35 p.m. near a bridge over the lake, and one officer pulled the dog over the wall. Both officers then did the same with the man.

Taylor was treated at the scene by emergency responders but declined to be evaluated at a hospital. It’s not clear how long he and the dog were in the lake, where the water temperature was about 40 degrees.

The dog was not injured.

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