MANCHESTER — A 16-year-old boy was airlifted to a trauma center after a water-related emergency at Hidden Lake in the Whiting section of Manchester Township on July 30, police said.
Emergency services were called to the remote lake around 4:16 p.m. after reports that the teen was unconscious in the water. Responding agencies included the Manchester Township Police Patrol Division, Manchester EMS, Whiting Volunteer Fire Company, and Robert Wood Johnson EMS paramedics.
Bystanders at the lake guided rescuers to the victim and helped transport first responders through difficult terrain after two police vehicles became disabled. The boy’s friends were holding him above the water’s surface when crews arrived, police said.
The victim was placed on a backboard and pulled up a 30-foot embankment using a rope-assisted extrication. He was transported by utility terrain vehicle about three miles to the main road, where he was then taken to a waiting medevac helicopter at Bowker Field and flown to Jersey Shore Medical Center’s trauma unit.
Preliminary investigation suggests the teen suffered traumatic injuries after falling from a rope swing and striking his head. The incident remains under investigation by Manchester Patrolman Sean Rembach.
