Massachusetts 19-year-old lifeguard rescues unresponsive 5-year-old boy from pool

ACTON — Police Chief James Cogan and Fire Chief Anita Arnum report that a lifeguard rescued a 5-year-old boy from a pool Sunday evening.

At 5:08 p.m., the Acton Police and Fire Departments responded to a pool at the Bellows Farms condominium complex, located at 111 Davis Road, for a report of a young child who had been pulled from a pool after being submerged underwater.

Upon arrival, police and firefighters learned that a 5-year-old boy had been swimming in the pool when his floatation devices came off and the boy was submerged underwater. The boy was underwater for about 30 seconds when a lifeguard saw and dove into the water and pulled the boy out of the pool.

The child was not responsive and the 19-year-old lifeguard began to perform CPR. The lifeguard performed two rounds of CPR prior to the arrival of first responders and as a result, the child became alert and began breathing on his own.

A short time later, an Acton Police officer arrived on scene and evaluated the boy, who was still alert and oriented. Acton firefighters then arrived and transported the child to a local hospital.

Through their investigation, police determined that the parents were along the side of the pool when the child drifted toward the deep end and the child’s floatation devices came off, causing the child to go underwater. The lifeguard was on a scheduled break but was in the pool area at the time of the incident. Swimming is allowed at your own risk when the lifeguard is not on active duty.

Chief Cogan and Chief Arnum commended the lifeguard who helped to rescue the boy from the water and performed CPR to get the boy breathing again.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the incident was accidental. No further information was released.