Baltimore officials stress safety after teen pulled from closed Roosevelt Park Pool dies
BALTIMORE - A sign has been added to the gate at Baltimore's Roosevelt Park Pool alerting people not to enter and swim after hours.
Last month, 16-year-old Oshayne Stephens was pulled out of the water at the Hampden neighborhood pool when it was closed and operating under weekend-only hours.
Three weeks later, police said, the teenager died.
"These types of situations can be avoided if people only swim when the pools are open," said Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Chief of Aquatics Nikki Cobbs. "Lifeguards are trained for a reason."
On that Wednesday in early June, Baltimore police and firefighters rushed to the pool.
"It does look like the patient is at the bottom of the pool," dispatch audio said.
The 16-year-old boy was unresponsive in the water.
"The police officer jumped the fence and just as he was jumping the fence, the firemen came and they cut the chain and got in there," neighbor Mike Quindlen said. "They really tried to save this kid's life."
In the summer of 2022, another teen nearly drowned in the same pool.
Cobbs did not say if anything has changed at Roosevelt or any other Baltimore City public pools other than gate checks.
"We check our gates daily and if there's any kind of breach, we'll fix it before the day is out," Cobbs said.
Mayor Brandon Scott noted that it is unsafe for anyone to swim when there's no lifeguard on duty.
Scott addressed the drowning Wednesday when defending some temporary pool closures.
"We know we had a truly tragic incident at one of our pools," Scott said. "Safety is a big issue. It is unsafe to have pools open that are in need of a significant repair."
Officials urged neighbors to call the city if they notice swimmers after hours.
"If you don't want to call 911, call 311," Cobbs said. "We need your help. Kids will be kids and it's our responsibility."
WJZ learned Stephens was a high school student at Academy for College and Career Exploration in Baltimore.
The drowning happened a week before the summer break.
