2 men bike across frozen Lake Erie in attempt to steal cable, wire: Niagara police

Heavy ice cover remains on Lake Erie as of Friday, March 13, 2015. (Krista Simpson / CTV Kitchener)

Two men have been arrested and charged after biking across a frozen section of Lake Erie in an alleged attempt to steal cable and wire.

Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) say officers responded to a theft in progress on Wednesday just after noon along the Lake Erie waterfront in Port Colborne.

Police say two men biked across the ice to a break wall near the lighthouse at the Lake Erie entrance of the Welland Canal.

The male suspects were thought to be stealing cable and wire, according to investigators.

Officers from NRPS’s Marine Unit put on ice survival suits and walked across the ice to arrest one of the men.

The second suspect attempted to evade officers, police say, and walked across the ice and briefly waded into open water before he was arrested, they said.

Both men were assessed for hypothermia after being brought back to the shore.

Niagara police say the investigation remains ongoing and further details will be shared in the coming days.

Anyone with information is asked to contact NRPS or Crime Stoppers anonymously.