A 5-year-old girl was rescued from Branch Brook Lake in Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday afternoon after falling into the water. Bystanders and police officers collaborated to pull the child from the lake near a boathouse in the park's southern section.
Officials reported that the girl was breathing and conscious when she was removed from the water. Emergency medical services transported her to the nearby University Hospital.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Office stated that the child appeared to have wandered away while her grandfather was occupied with buckling a sibling into a car. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in Branch Brook Park.
This rescue follows a recent tragedy in the nearby Passaic River, where two other children drowned earlier in the week. A 10-year-old boy and a 10-year-old female friend died after entering the water near Pulaski Park, along with an 11-year-old sister who also succumbed to the river.