MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities launched an investigation after an 18-year-old swimmer who was reported missing in a Medford lake on Monday was pulled from the water and later pronounced dead, officials said.
Dive teams responding to Upper Mystic Lake around 8 p.m. began searching around the Tufts Boat House dock for the Medford man, who witnesses say jumped in and never resurfaced.
“There were three. They jumped in; one of them never came back,” said Nilton Bedoni, who was standing about 100 feet away from the scene.
Bedoni added that he heard people crying for help but initially thought those cries were a joke.
“I really just heard like somebody like shout, ‘Help!’ But I thought they were just playing around in the water,” he said.
Divers eventually found the man’s body in approximately 20 feet of water, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10 p.m.
His name has not been released.
A preliminary investigation suggests that the victim was unable to swim and immediately appeared to be in distress after entering the water before going below the surface, the DA’s Office said.
Foul play is reportedly not suspected.
The part of the lake where the man was found is a restricted area with posted “no swimming” signs. Despite the signs, neighbors say the lake is popular among teens.
“This was an accident waiting to happen, just a matter of time,” neighbor Linda Ciccolo said. “There are no less than 100 people on this dock every weekend.”
The DA’s Office is investigating the incident.
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