Over the weekend, Jersey was greeted with blistering cold winter weather, and for one-for-one fox at the Jersey Shore, it made for a tragic set of events.

A few weeks ago, Ocean Gate's Borough announced that people should not walk out onto Jeffrey's Creek while it was frozen over.

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No matter how safe you think it may be to walk out onto the frozen water, it's just not.

Sadly, animals aren't able to read memos or understand whether or not it's safe to walk onto a frozen body of water, and that invoked a crisis on the Barnegat Bay over the weekend.

A Fox Was Trapped On Floating Ice In The Bay Over The Weekend

A lot of people were following the saga on Facebook, as a small fox wandered out onto the frozen Barnegat Bay, and then became trapped a few hundred yards from shore as the ice broke loose and began to float away, according to NJ.com.

Between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM on Saturday, people witnessed the Fox float around trapped on this moving sheet of ice while rescue efforts were organized.

Due to the frigid temperatures, and tough currents underneath the ice and in the bay, it made rescue efforts extremely difficult.

Local animal activist John Debacker shared updates throughout the day via social media.

It may be hard to see, but there's clearly a fox sitting on a sheet of ice in the middle of the bay here.

fox trapped on the ice in new jersey
Photo Credit: Facebook / John Debacker
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There was an outcry of support as efforts were made to rescue the fox throughout the day

Sadly, the fox was last seen on the ice sheet moving North in the waters and then vanished sometime early Sunday morning.

With temperatures as cold as they are, the odds of the fox surviving are slim but miracles can happen, right?

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It does stand as a stark reminder to always be safe when dealing with bodies of water, and when you do see an animal in distress always make sure to contact the proper authorities.

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