Three people who are believed to be from the same family were found dead in a backyard swimming pool at a New Jersey home on Monday, authorities said.
Police described the victims as two adults and a child. A 32-year-old woman and her 8-year-old daughter, along with a 62-year-old man, were pulled unresponsive from the water. The victims’ identities have not been released.
“This is a devastating day for our entire community. It is too early to determine exactly what happened,” East Brunswick Police Chief Frank Losacco said in a statement to USA Today.
“We are working with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and will release information as it develops,” the statement continued.
Police responded to an emergency call from a neighbor who dialed 911 after she heard screaming, Losacco told media at the scene. Responding officers found the three individuals in the pool.
“All the deceased were taken out of the pool. CPR was done and they were all pronounced [dead] in the backyard,” Losacco said.
At first, police understood from the call they were responding to a victim who had fallen when the caller heard people screaming. But arriving officers found three people drowned.
A neighbor told CBS News the family had just recently moved to New Jersey about one month ago and an electrician was present at the home shortly after the incident.
“The fact that they had an electrician’s truck show up shortly thereafter… It wouldn’t make sense that three people just drowned right away like that. With an adult there too,” the neighbor told the outlet.
The pool the family drowned in was reportedly filled with about 4 feet of water in an above-ground pool. Detectives said they are currently investigating the incident.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for young children, according to the National Safety Council. About 74 percent of drowning incidents involve children younger than 15, the department stated.
The CDC says that “everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating, moving through the water) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).”
“Most parents think water safety is first and foremost on their minds whenever they are enjoying summer activities with their young kids. But when the unthinkable happens, caregivers often say, ‘I only looked away for a second,'” an official with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said.
