SCITUATE, MASS. (WHDH) – A missing swimmer who was pulled from the water off Scituate on Tuesday afternoon has been pronounced dead, officials said.
Emergency crews responding to a report of a man who didn’t resurface after jumping into the water from the Edward Foster Bridge around 3 p.m. called in boats and a dive team in an effort to locate the swimmer, according to the Coast Guard.
Divers pulled the man, whose name has not been released, from the water about an hour later. He was taken to South Shore Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 4:30 p.m., officials said.
The bridge is a popular swimming hole and witnesses said the man was doing some landscaping nearby. Despite expressing concerns about the current and admitting he was not a strong swimmer, witnesses said the man jumped in the water to cool off.
When he did not immediately, surface, his coworker jumped in after him. He also needed to be hospitalized though his condition has not been released.
“Another boy jumped in to try and save him and he started to go under. And then the ambulance came and they took him away, but they couldn’t find the other body,” said Michaela Knowles who witnessed the incident. “His two friends went to try to keep him above water and then he just… yea, he didn’t come back up.”
Authorities are urging people not to jump off the bridge due to the level of danger involved.
“It’s an awful start to the summer, and I think it’s just gonna go on from here,” said Town Manager Jim Boudreau.
No additional details were available.
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