Child Drowns After Sneaking Into Closed Community Pool

Roosevelt Pool in Toledo, Ohio is closed on Mondays for routine maintenance. According to the city Parks and Rec website, this closure gives staff time to adjust chemical levels, clean and ensure safe operation of the pool. This past Monday, however, routine maintenance was interrupted when an 11-year-old boy began to drown in the pool.

According to reports by Toledo Blade, a nine-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy scaled the eight-foot fence surrounding Roosevelt Pool last Monday. The older boy jumped into the water, despite not knowing how to swim, and did not come back out. Meanwhile, the nine-year-old went to find help.

The victim was taken to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center where he passed away after complications from drowning. 

When police originally arrived on the scene, they had to cut the lock on the pool to access the water. They believe the boy was underwater for 10 minutes. The first responders performed CPR and transported the boy to the hospital. 

The victim’s mother spoke out, describing how she had dropped her son off with his uncle and cousin. It was later that she got a horrible call. She told ABC 13 News, “My auntie, she told me that my son was down in the pool. I didn’t believe her at first cause I was like he’s at my uncle’s house. How is he at King pool? My uncle stays miles down the street.”

Toledo Parks and Recreation has announced that Roosevelt Pool will remain closed for the rest of the summer. They are working on draining the pool and investigating new safety measures to ensure that an incident like this never happens again.

“Our pools are intended to be places of joy and recreation, where children and families can create happy memories,” the city said in a statement Tuesday morning. “This incident has profoundly affected all of us, and we are committed to doing everything we can to support the family and reassure the community this will never happen again.”