Plymouth police and rescue crews spent Thursday scouring Charge Pond after reports that a person had gone into the water and never came back out. Officials said the individual, a 53-year-old, had been in the pond for roughly 30 minutes before the alarm was raised, and the pond’s murky water quickly turned a routine call into a high-stakes search.
Plymouth Police Captain Marc Higgins told WHDH the person is 53 and had been in the water for about half an hour when first responders were called. Crews described Charge Pond as “dark and deep,” conditions that made it tough to locate the missing swimmer. As of Thursday evening, the search was still underway, and no identifying details about the individual had been released.
Inside the Charge Pond Search Zone
Charge Pond sits within Myles Standish State Forest and is part of the Charge Pond campground complex, according to state listings. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s waterfront summary notes that the Charge Pond campers beach is unguarded, a setup that can raise the stakes for anyone entering the water without a lifeguard on duty.
Pond maps put Charge Pond at roughly 23 acres with a maximum depth near 17 feet, measurements that can complicate recovery or dive operations. For a basic outline of the pond’s footprint, see Wikipedia.
Recent South Shore Water Tragedies
The Charge Pond operation is the latest inland-water emergency on the South Shore this summer. Earlier this week, a Duxbury man drowned after a frantic rescue attempt, according to Boston.com. The string of incidents has renewed calls from local officials for extra caution around ponds and lakes, especially in areas without lifeguards.
How to Follow Updates
Plymouth police did not release additional identifying details in the initial broadcast report. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Plymouth Police Department at (508) 830-4218 or call 9-1-1 in an emergency, per the department’s contact page. The Plymouth Police website regularly posts public logs and news updates tied to ongoing incidents.
WHDH reported that the search remained active Thursday evening as crews continued working at the scene, and officials said they would provide updates as new information becomes available. We will update this story as authorities release more details.
