Bridgeportteendies after pulled from water in Newtown, police say

Jul. 28—"Our thoughts are with the family during this most difficult time, and we ask that the public respect their privacy," the police department said.

Newtown officers were called to the area of Silver Bridge, on the Southbury town line, on Glen Road around 1:55 p.m. Thursday. Officers arrived about five minutes after receiving the report of the missing boy, Police Chief David Kullgren said Friday.

The teen was swimming in the Housatonic River at the time of the incident, trying to determine if it was safe to jump off the bridge and looking for submerged rocks, according to Kullgren. The teen was in the water when he "had gone under and not resurfaced," the police department said.

The teen was with two others, one of whom called 911, according to Kullgren.

Several officers searched for the teen, and four used equipment such as throw ropes to recover him from 12 feet under the spot where he vanished, Kullgren said, noting that the officers' actions were "heroic."

When the officers found the teen, he initially did not have a pulse. The teen was then taken to shore, where first responders initiated life-saving measures, and he developed a pulse before being taken to the hospital, according to police.

Police are investigating how long he was under water, Kullgren said.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the teen did not have a pulse when first pulled out of the water.

—

CT reports slight uptick in COVID as cases rise across country

—

Rising number of youth drownings in CT prompts calls for action