NEW BERN, N.C. (WITN) – People were freezin\u2019 for a reason Saturday at Lawson Creek in New Bern for the 2026 New Bern Police Department Polar Plunge to support North Carolina Special Olympics athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all focused about getting in and getting right back out, it was a chilly one this year,\u201d said Rachel Rochelle, a New Bern detective.<\/p>\n
Chilly waters greeted those brave enough to take the 2026 New Bern Police Department Polar Plunge on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah I could not feel my toes, it was pretty cold right after but bring some clothes and a towel and you\u2019re fine,\u201d said Kaitlynn Litterio, an annual participant.<\/p>\n
Despite frigid temperatures, Rochelle says it\u2019s for a good cause.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as you hit the water it\u2019s like okay, go, go, go, you\u2019re doing this. But obviously we do it because it\u2019s for such a good reason,\u201d Rochelle said.<\/p>\n
Those plunging had to raise $75 to do so. All of the money fundraised goes toward sports training, health services and competition for local Special Olympic athletes.<\/p>\n
The cause has taken the attention of people like Litterio, who participated for the third year in a row.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of different ways to help your community, and things you feel strongly about, this is just one of those things that ever since we found out about the polar plunge we\u2019ve come every year,\u201d Litterio said. \u201cThe bigger that it gets the more exciting it\u2019s gonna get.\u201d<\/p>\n
So many decide to be brave and take the plunge, as New Bern PD likes to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like 15 seconds of freezing cold and then you have something to laugh about with everybody,\u201d Litterio said.<\/p>\n
Rochelle also talked about how much it means to the athletes everything goes to and says that\u2019s a special moment when they get to interact.<\/p>\n