5-year-old boy drowns in New Brighton

A 5-year-old boy drowned Tuesday night at a public beach in New Brighton, police said.

By Tom Ford, Star Tribune

Last update: July 31, 2007 - 11:26 PM

A 5-year-old boy drowned Tuesday night at a public beach in New Brighton, police said.

The boy's submerged body was first spotted by another swimmer, said New Brighton public safety director Bob Jacobson.

Lifeguards and then paramedics who arrived at the scene at Long Lake tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead after being taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. The boy's name was not immediately released.

As authorities responded, the boy's mother, who is pregnant, went into labor and was also taken to Regions, but there were no indications Tuesday night that she had given birth, Jacobson said.

The boy had been at the beach with his parents. About 7:30 p.m., a woman swimming in the lake found the boy in the water, Jacobson said.

Police are trying to figure out how much time he was in the lake, but they don't think it was very long, he said.