ITEM PHOTO BY GAYLA CAWLEY
First responders work to recover a body found in Breeds Pond in Lynn.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — The body of a man was pulled from Breeds Pond in Lynn Woods by authorities Tuesday night, after a suspected drowning.
Essex County District Attorney’s office spokeswoman Carrie Kimball-Monahan said the victim was a 35-year-old man from Boston, but declined to release his name. She said the drowning appeared accidental and no foul play is suspected.
A woman, who identified herself as the sister-in-law of the drowning victim, identified the man as Eliud Vega Jr. She said her brother-in-law was swimming, but declined further comment, saying the family just wanted their time to grieve.
Lynn District Fire Chief Tim Collier said the call for a possible drowning in the reservoir came in around 7 p.m., but there was some confusion as to which pond and location.
Initially, he said the call was for Walden Pond around Great Woods Road, but emergency responders later learned the correct location was Breeds Pond behind Frey Park on Belmont Avenue.
Collier said crews went into the pond with a boat to search and found the victim shortly before 7:30 p.m., but were unable to extricate the man, who was in about 15 feet of water. The State Police dive team was called to the scene to assist with the recovery effort, and recovered the body about seven minutes after their arrival.
A separate spokesman for the Lynn Fire Department, District Fire Chief Stephen Archer, said the man went to the pond to go swimming with a woman who initiated the emergency response.
Collier said there is no swimming allowed in the pond — it’s a public reservoir — and “no swimming” signs are posted.
Distraught family members gathered on the opposite side of the pond from where the man’s body was recovered, on Parkland Avenue Tuesday night, joining a mass of emergency vehicles.
Residents living near the pond watched as Lynn fire crews pulled a search boat out of the water, including Parkland Avenue residents, Dana Soucy and his wife, Abbey Soucy.
Dana Soucy said they were sitting in their backyard and heard an ambulance arrive. The prospect of a drowning in the pond was not unusual to the couple: Dana Soucy said kids swim in the pond and drink beer, despite the posted signs. He said for the most part, they’re just being kids, but this time, “very sadly, this is the end of it.”
“They’re just kids going in there,” Soucy said. “We all did it. It’s just as sad as it gets.”
He said people go to the pond for a little swimming, a little fishing and great views. “You have that one freaky thing that happens and there it all goes,” Soucy said. “I always say it’s just a matter of time.”
Police said the incident is under investigation.
The drowning marked an end to a holiday weekend preceded by public safety officials’ warnings about swimming where lifeguards are not posted. The Lynn YMCA and Lynn Public Schools held water safety education seminars last month aimed at preventing drownings.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
