15-year-old boy who was pulled from pond in Lincoln Woods has died

LINCOLN — A 15-year-old Providence boy, who chased a ball into deep water at Lincoln Woods and submerged, has died, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Management announced on Thursday, citing a post on an online fundraising page.

The spokesman, Mike Healey, confirmed the identity of the teen as Melecio DeLeon Regil and expressed DEM's "sincerest condolences to the victim’s family and friends at this unimaginably difficult time."

The online fundraising page linked to Healey's news release describes the teen as "a bright light in the Met School community."

"His kindness and genuine care for others was an inspiration to all who knew him," says the post. "Over everything else, his immense love and care for his family was his guide. There are no words to truly honor who this young man was."

The page, which was set up by friends of the boy's family, says DeLeon Regil passed away "despite the best efforts" of those around him.

DeLeon Regil had ventured into Olney Pond on Sunday evening after the park's beach had closed at 6 p.m. and lifeguards were no longer on duty, according to an account Healey provided earlier this week.

An investigation into the incident continues.

An off-duty lifeguard, Healey said, heard a commotion and swam out to where DeLeon Regil went under, which was outside the marked swimming area.

The lifeguard pulled him to the surface, brought him to the shore and began CPR, both chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to Healey.

A 911 call was received at 6:13 p.m., and Lincoln Fire and Rescue took DeLeon Regil to Hasbro Children's Hospital around 6:45 p.m.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 15-year-old dies after being pulled from Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods