Teens rescued from Taunton River by three Good Samaritans, police

January 23, 2020 10:14 pm

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TAUNTON, Mass. (WLNE)- The Taunton Police and Fire Departments are crediting three Good Samaritans with pulling two 14-year-old boys from the icy Taunton River Thursday afternoon.

According to a statement from the departments, Taunton resident Kevin Boss was driving by the area of County St. and Ingell St. when he saw the boys struggling to reach the shore.

Boss grabbed a rope and began a rescue attempt when two Taunton School Department employees, Nick DaCosta and Lynne Farina, also noticed the boys and pulled over.

The three Samaritans were soon joined by four officers from the Taunton Police Department: Officer Daniel Williams, Officer Matt Travers, Officer Brendan Canary and Captain Daniel McCabe.

Together the seven adults were able to use the rope and rescue the two teens.

No immediate injuries were reported and the boys are expected to released from a medical evaluation in good health.

“This was a fantastic job by the people who stopped and our officers who helped to get these boys out of the water quickly,” Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh said.

Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw urged residents to avoid stepping on ice over any body of water.

“Thankfully these boys weren’t seriously hurt and the people who stopped to help should be considered heroes,” Bradshaw said. “Though temperatures have been cold recently, it has not been cold long enough to make it safe to walk, skate or fish on any waterway in Taunton.”