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4-Year-Old Rescued From North Brookfield Lake By Good Samaritans

NORTH BROOKFIELD (CBS) -- Heroic actions from a trio of strangers almost certainly saved the life of a four-year-old boy who nearly drowned at the town beach in North Brookfield.

Tyrell Stevenson started CPR right on the dock. "I learned it from my mom," said the 20-year-old from Worcester.

Jessica Roy hopped off a friend's pontoon boat to take over and revive the child. "Strong heartbeat, breathing coming back," recalled Roy. "It was quite a relief."

They're both talking about Sunday evening around 7 o'clock when the little boy nearly died in eight feet of water in North Brookfield's Lake Lashaway.

Stevenson and Roy are two of the heroes, but the third is still a mystery man. He apparently dove in to get the boy after spotting the youngster tumble off the dock and sink to the bottom.

"Whoever pulled him out of the water and whoever initiated CPR are the heroes," said Fire Chief Joseph Holway. "There's no doubt about it."

There are no lifeguards, and the beach was busy. But when the unconscious boy was pulled from the water, Tyrell scrambled over from his volleyball game and went to work.

"I felt great, when I did that, I felt like crying, to be honest. I saved someone's life for the first time," he told WBZ-TV. "It's hard to explain what it feels like to save a life for the first time."

Jessica is actually a nurse and said her training simply kicked in.

"I don't want recognition. I don't need it," said the North Brookfield mother. "I'm a nurse. I'm a mom. I was there. Right place - right time. I'm thankful I could help."

She had the boy breathing by the time first responders took over.

"I'm thankful we were out there," she says, "and I'm thankful he's doing well."

It was the kind of teamwork that made the town officials marvel. "This was a lot of good people coming together to make something great happen," said EMS Director Patrick Kirinsky.

The boy was taken by ambulance to Harrington Hospital and then transferred to UMass Memorial in Worcester, where he is recovering nicely.

It is looking like a happy ending, one that has landscaper Tyrell Stevenson thinking about a different career. "Because my dream job is a doctor," he said with a smile.

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