5-year-old found unresponsive in Highland Mills pool, remains critical

A 5-year-old boy was found unresponsive in a neighbor’s pool in Highland Mills and remained in critical condition after a desperate rescue that unfolded in seconds along Woodbury Road.

Woodbury police said the child was reported missing around 6:35 p.m. while being watched by an older sibling in the area. He was later found face down in the pool, setting off a response that pulled in officers from Woodbury and Cornwall, Hatzolah EMS and bystanders who began CPR before the boy was rushed toward care.

Cornwall Sgt. Jeffrey Marinan performed CPR with two bystanders at the scene, and a Woodbury officer and a Cornwall police sergeant drove the child to St. Luke’s Hospital in a police vehicle while lifesaving efforts continued in the back seat. A Hatzolah EMS EMT kept working on the boy during the transport, and police shut down roads to clear the route to the hospital.

The child was later flown to Westchester Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition. The transfer underscored how quickly a neighborhood pool emergency can escalate and why rapid coordination between police, EMS and hospitals can mean the difference between life and death.

The case also lands as Orange County families head into pool season, when drowning remains one of the most urgent pediatric safety threats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14, and more children ages 1 to 4 die from drowning than from any other cause of death. The New York State Department of Health says children and teens are at greatest risk, and that drowning can happen quickly and quietly.

State health officials report more than 7,400 public swimming pools and 1,300 public bathing beaches across New York, a reminder that water hazards are common and the margin for error is small. For families with private pools in places like Highland Mills, Woodbury and Cornwall, the lesson is immediate: constant adult supervision, secure barriers and fast access to help matter, because a child can disappear into trouble in moments.

Westchester Medical Center Health Network says Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital is the Hudson Valley’s only Level I pediatric trauma center, and that WMCHealth has 24-hour MedEvac helicopter and ground-transfer capability for critical transfers. For a child pulled from a pool in Orange County, that level of care can become the last, best chance when every minute counts.