Revere Officers Revive Drowning Toddler, Named August's Employees of the Month

A 2-year-old child stopped breathing during a drowning emergency in Revere on August 14, and two police officers who arrived on scene performed CPR that brought the toddler back to consciousness before paramedics could take over. Officers Terence K. Reardon and Shayna Mullen are now being recognized by the city for the save.

According to Revere Police on Facebook, Reardon and Mullen responded to the drowning emergency, managed the scene, and performed CPR on the child, who regained consciousness before being transported to the hospital. The department and the City of Revere have named both officers August Employees of the Month for their actions.

Mullen has been a patrol officer with the department since August 2023, when she was sworn in following 26 weeks of training at the Northern Essex Community College Police Academy, according to the Revere Journal. She joined the force alongside three other patrol officers as part of a broader push to increase department staffing. The Revere surname carries some institutional history in the department as well — Terence K. Reardon served as Revere's police chief in the early 2000s, leading local operations during joint federal drug enforcement investigations, per a 2003 announcement from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

A Department Built for Fast Response

The rescue comes as Revere's police force has emphasized boosting patrol coverage. As of May, the department reported 103 sworn officers working a four-days-on, four-days-off schedule of 10-hour shifts designed to maximize coverage across the city, Hoodline previously reported. The department has also rolled out $5,000 signing bonuses to keep its ranks staffed. Chief Amy LaVita, who was named Revere's permanent police chief in July 2025 after nearly 30 years with the department, became the first woman in city and Suffolk County history to lead the force, according to a department Facebook announcement.

Why Seconds Matter in Toddler Drownings

Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 in the United States, and CDC analysis cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics found toddler drowning rates rose 28% in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Public health officials have partly attributed the increase to disrupted swim lessons and lifeguard shortages following the pandemic. For every child who dies from drowning nationally, an estimated five others receive emergency care for nonfatal drowning, which can cause severe long-term brain damage, according to the Children's Safety Network.

In Massachusetts, the state recorded 57 unintentional drowning deaths and 86 nonfatal near-drowning cases requiring acute hospital care in 2022, with incidents concentrated in the summer months, per data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. That same year, nine Massachusetts children between the ages of 1 and 17 died from unintentional drowning, including three toddlers aged 1 to 4. The American Red Cross reports that 87% of drowning fatalities involving children under age 5 happen in home swimming pools or hot tubs, most often at properties owned by family or friends.

Public health guidance issued in June by the Cambridge Public Health Department stresses that adults supervising toddlers near water need to maintain what officials call touch supervision, staying within arm's reach because drownings happen silently and within seconds. Health officials emphasize that immediate CPR and a fast emergency response are often the deciding factors in whether a child survives a submersion incident. In Revere, that response came from two officers whose quick action turned a life-threatening emergency into a recovery.