Families return to Brooklyn pool, as investigation continues into near drowning and lifeguards’ response

NEW YORK — McCarren Park Pool is back open after a 5-year-old boy nearly drowned Sunday night.

The child’s survival is being credited to the quick actions of one Good Samaritan. But the on-duty lifeguards are facing scrutiny from witnesses who said they just sat there while this happened. 

CBS2’s Elijah Westbrook spoke with people Monday taking advantage of the pool on another hot day in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As he reported, there was a bit of apprehension and lack of trust when it came to the city’s lifeguards. 

Video from Sunday night showed the moment a group of people performed CPR on the boy after witnesses said a Good Samaritan, named Anthony Torres, pulled him out of the pool. 

Police said shortly after, EMS rushed the child to nearby Woodhull Hospital, where he is expected to be OK.

Torres spoke with CBS2 just minutes after the heartbreaking ordeal.

“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,” Torres said. “When I picked him up out of the water, I kept screaming ‘help,’ and not one lifeguard would come to his aide or help me at all.”

It was a close call witnesses said could have been tragic. 

“It’s sad, I mean it’s a kid. I know lifeguards have a job to do and all that, a lot of people, but that one split second, you know? A child is a child,” Williamsburg resident Frankus Gasparino said. 

The lifeguards are under fire after witnesses said they didn’t respond fast enough. Sources said one of the lifeguards did help Torres, but only after he was pulled from the pool, to do CPR. 

“The lifeguards were still up in the chairs, like they didn’t even bother to get down,” said witness Maria Lozano.

City Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who represents the neighborhood, tweeted at the city’s Parks Department, saying, “I hope @NYCParks will fully investigate & review McCaren staffing.”

The city said it will cooperate with the NYPD’s investigation, and released a statement that read in part, their “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,” the statement continued. 

As Westbrook reported, families decided to still flock to the pool Monday to seek relief from the weather. Some said they will be a bit more cautious and aware of their children, noting the vital role lifeguards play.