Off-duty Shrewsbury firefighter tried to save drowning man at Lake Quinsigamond

Marco Cartolano and Craig S. Semon
·1 min read

WORCESTER — A 30-year-old man went off the Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge into Lake Quinsigamond and drowned Tuesday, according to police.

The matter is under investigation, with authorities trying to determine if the man jumped or fell. Authorities initially said he jumped.

Fire and rescue crews from Worcester and Shrewsbury converged on Lake Quinsigamond after a boater saw a person go into the water about 4 p.m.

The boater, off-duty Shrewsbury firefighter Robert Ljunggren, jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue the man, according to Shrewsbury police. Ljunggren was unable to locate the man, police said.

A member of the Worcester Fire Department dive team, aided by Shrewsbury boat Officers Kyle Amato and Shawn Valliere, eventually located the man in the water. He was brought to shore, with paramedics administering CPR, before being rushed to nearby UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus, where he was pronounced dead.

A command post was set up in the back parking lot of the old Buca D. Beppo Restaurant, adjacent to the lake.

Worcester police are heading the ongoing inquiry. Authorities have not publicly identified the man who drowned.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Man jumps off bridge into Lake Quinsigamond, drowns