Classical student, 16, drowns in Lynn pond

LYNN – A 16-year-old Classical High student drowned in the waters of Breeds Pond around 6 p.m. Tuesday, after a group of his friends desperately tried to save him.Friends say Salim Fort was swimming in the pond, which is accessible from a short trek into the woods off of Glen Avenue, in an attempt to beat the heat when he began to flounder.At approximately 6:30 p.m., Fort was pulled from the water by Lynn firefighters and rushed to a waiting ambulance as his friends watched, hysterically crying.?He said to me, ?Miguel, I can?t go anymore,? ” Miguel Peguero said in between tears. “He (Fort) told me that he just learned how to swim and we saw him go down, but he was too heavy to pick up. He was under water for a good 10 minutes.”Peguero, 16, said he, Fort and a handful of other teens had decided to go swimming in the pond around 5 p.m., and had swam halfway across when Fort began to yell that he was in trouble.?We were just chilling like normal kids do (on a hot day),” Peguero said while staring at the pond. “I?ve known him since the seventh grade.”Lynn police Lt. David Brown said the department received several calls at approximately 6:11 p.m., that a male went under water and quickly responded to the scene along with the Lynn Fire Department.?Lynn Fire medics and Atlantic Ambulance personnel provided CPR and transported the victim to Union Hospital,” he said.News of Fort?s death sent a shockwave through the Classical High community, prompting school officials to open the building for grief counseling.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, along with Principal Gene Constantino and the school?s ninth grade guidance counselor were on hand to console students. The school will remain open today for counseling.?It?s just a terrible accident and seems like the kids were just enjoying the day,” Kennedy said. “It?s a sad loss of life.”While Brown said swimming in the pond is illegal, Kennedy said the spot is one where kids have gathered for decades to cool off in the summer months.Fort participated in basketball and football during his short-lived school career. Several of his coaches were contacted Tuesday night, but were not available for comment.Brown was unable to confirm the victim?s identity. The incident remains under investigation.