Lifeguard on break saves 5-year-old at bottom of pool: ‘He had no pulse’

ACTON, Mass. (WHDH) - A 19-year-old lifeguard on her break jumped into action to save a 5-year-old boy who sank to the bottom of a public swimming pool.

Sunday was like any hot summer day at the pool at the Bellows Farms condominium complex in Acton, Massachusetts, when suddenly, a 5-year-old boy lost his flotation devices and sank to the bottom of the deep end.

Lifeguard Alison Mammola, 19, was on her lunch break when she heard a commotion just after 5 p.m. She quickly jumped into action to save the boy.

“I got up and saw him at the bottom, and my lifeguard instincts kicked in,” Mammola said. “He was in the 9-feet area.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Mammola dove in and brought the 5-year-old to the surface.

“He had no pulse,” she said.

After mouth-to-mouth and two rounds of CPR, the boy began breathing on his own as first responders arrived. Mammola described that moment as “amazing.”

“I, literally, a weight felt lifted from my chest, and it was really scary, too, because thinking about how it could have ended in a different situation. But I was just happy that the boy was OK and that paramedics were able to take care of the rest,” she said.

The 19-year-old says she was just doing her job and has a heartfelt message to the boy’s family.

“I can’t believe what they’re going through. I honestly just hope that they’re with him and making sure he’s OK right now,” she said.

First responders thanked Mammola for jumping into action Monday.

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