Good Samaritan rescues 5-year-old boy from drowning in McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn
NEW YORK -- A child nearly drowned at a city pool Sunday in Brooklyn. The 5-year-old boy was pulled from the water by a good Samaritan and then lifeguards gave him CPR.
It happened at McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg at around 7 p.m., police said.
The pool was packed with people trying to get relief during the heat wave. The situation could've been worse had it not been for good Samaritans, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.
"I screamed 'Help!' and then I submerged myself into the water to pick him up. He was face down in the water, in like a fetal position," said Anthony Torres.
Torres was at the pool with his family. He'd just finished work and wanted to enjoy some down time. The former lifeguard sprang into action when he saw the boy at the bottom of the pool.
"When I picked him up out of the water, I kept screaming 'Help!' and not one lifeguard would come to his aid or help me at all," Torres said.
Panic spread while first responders worked to make sure the boy was OK. Police said they took the boy to Woodhull Hospital. He is expected to be OK.
"He was just breathing and his eyes were just open. But he couldn't talk and I was trying to give him a pound and he wouldn't get up," Torres said.
Maria Lozano was frustrated more help didn't arrive sooner.
"The lifeguards were still up in the chairs, like, they didn't even bother to get down," said Lozano. "It was scary. I was with my kids here. Everyone was just worried and concerned because the child wasn't breathing. He was unconscious. The CPR wasn't working. It was scary, everyone was screaming."
Police are looking into the circumstances surrounding the near drowning. Many hope an investigation into the on-duty lifeguards' response is launched also.
In a statement to CBS2, the Parks Department said, "Our thoughts are with the child and their family, and we wish them a full recovery. Two NYC Parks lifeguards ran to aid the child and administered CPR responsive to a patron's cries for help after they removed the child from the water."
