Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: October 13, 2010
• Invested on: October 12, 2012

Constable Jennifer Anderson, M.B.
Philip Hall, M.B.
Birunthan Muralidaran, M.B. (posthumous)
Constable Mark Tan, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On December 10, 2006, Toronto Police Service constables Jennifer Anderson and Mark Tan, along with Philip Hall, tried unsuccessfully to rescue Birunthan Muralidaran and his friend, who had fallen through the ice of a reservoir, in Toronto, Ontario. Eleven-year-old Birunthan had made his way out to where his friend had fallen through, but the ice had broken in the process, leaving both boys unable to climb out. A witness to the incident, Mr. Hall grabbed a long extension cord, slid across the ice to reach them, and threw one end of the cord to Birunthan, who was unable to grab it. Tying a lasso into one end of the cord, Mr. Hall threw it again, but the ice broke under him. As he came back up to the surface, he saw that constables Anderson and Tan, while attempting to make their way to him, had also fallen through the ice. Unable to get any closer to the victims, Mr. Hall and the two constables were pulled to shore by two other officers. Emergency workers in a recovery boat were able to reach the boys; sadly, neither of them survived.