Fairhaven man dies after being pulled from water at Pope Beach

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. (WLNE) – A Fairhaven man died Saturday afternoon after police say he was a victim of a possible drowning or medical incident while in the water at Pope Beach.

Fairhaven Police received a 911 call Saturday around 3 p.m. for a report of a man being pulled from the water and who had stopped breathing, according to Bristol County District Attorney spokesman Gregg Miliote.

When police and paramedics arrived on scene at Pope Beach they found Brian Breton, 59, and at least two other witnesses, according to Miliote.

Breton was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford where he was pronounced dead shortly before 4 p.m.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Breton entered the water after he and a friend parking their vehicle at the bottom of Hacker Street.

A witness who was already in the water told police he saw Breton swim about 30 feet out into the shallow water.

After 15 minutes, the witness said he noticed Breton was face down in the water.

The witness initially believed that Breton was just floating or viewing marine life, but realized something was wrong after 45 seconds passed and noticed Breton’s friend heading towards him.

The witness and Breton’s friend pulled him from water and immediately called 911.

Miliote said it’s unclear at this time whether the victim suffered a medical emergency while in the water.

The depth of the water in the area where the incident happened is only about three feet, according to Miliote.

No foul play is suspected, according to Miliote.