A 10-year-old boy drowned at Morses Pond late Saturday afternoon, and police said the pond will be closed on Sunday as the investigation into the death continues. No foul play is suspected.The boy, identified as Alex in a police alert about a missing child around 6:30pm on Saturday, was visiting a Wellesley resident with his family and was not from this area. Police issued a follow-up alert just after 7:30pm to say the boy had been located. On Sunday, police identified the boy as Alexander Glennon of Manchester, NH. (more on Glennon from the Union Leader).
A witness at the beach said lifeguards cleared the water and began a systematic search of the water and shoreline.
Police and Wellesley firefighters/paramedics were dispatched to Morses pond shortly before 6pm, and a member of the Fire Department dive team located the child in the water and pulled him from the pond. Efforts to revive him were made at the scene and while en route to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
Morses Pond opened for the season last weekend. This was the first recorded drowning at the pond in 40 years.
This is such a tragic story, and it seems to have received so little press. Was there any follow up as to the cause? (Did he get stuck in weeds, or hit his head on a rock? Is there a current in the pond?) Local families would like to better understand what happened so we can make an informed judgment as to whether the pond is safe for our own children.
The pond was very crowded and docks not in place yet. This meant that 1) there was no separate shallow section for beginners and 2) the lifeguards could view the water only from shore and from paddleboards on the surface, not the higher vantage points the docks provide. We don’t know what caused this tragedy but don’t be surprised if Morse’s never opens again without the docks fully installed.
On Thursday May 30th the Townsman had a lengthy article, with Matt Chin boasting of the increased attendance and indirectly the revenue it is bringing to our town. I read this article with dismay, as each year since 1996 we’ve been increasingly distraught over how many non-Wellesley residents are using Morses Pond and how many fewer Wellesley residents are as a result. Last year 50,000 people came to Morses compared to 15,000 just three years ago in 2009 according to Chin. I took my children Friday May 31st and it was dangerously crowded at 5pm. I left after an hour as I could not safely see my children. Perhaps it is time to return Morses Pond to just the residents of Wellesley, as some of our neighboring towns do, and ensure a safer environment for all to enjoy. The loss of a life on Saturday was avoidable! It’s time the town of Wellesley evaluated the safety of our children on multiple fronts. Is it going to take a child getting killed at the Bates crosswalk in order to finally secure a crossing guard at Bates? We hope not!