Above: According to the SPD’s statement, a drowning victim appears to have been fishing in a boat in “Crystal Pond”. (image cropped from GIS Map/Google Maps)
Last night, Southborough Public Safety officials reported a drowning that occurred in a pond off of Crystal Pond Road yesterday afternoon. The victim has only been identified as a 43 year old from Framingham.
Police and Fire departments shared details of the emergency call about a kayaker/canoer in distress and the subsequent attempted rescue efforts that ended in a recovery operation.
The initial SPD’s post refers to a flipped kyak. A subsequent release from the SFD indicates it was actually someone fishing in a canoe who fell into the water. The SFD’s release included the following safety “reminder”:
when on or near any body of water always wear a personal flotation device and tell someone where you are and an estimated arrival time home.
From the Southborough Police:
Southborough Police Department and mutual aid partners responded to a report of a possible drowning in Crystal Pond on Sunday, June 7, around 4:25 p.m. A bystander on the shore off Crystal Pond Road reported witnessing a kayak flip over and the occupant going under the water. Southborough Fire and EMS also responded to the scene. Dive teams from District 14 Fire and Massachusetts State Police (MSP) were called to the scene. The State Police Air Wing also responded to assist in the search. Westborough Police also assisted with their Drone Unit. The dive teams entered the water and ultimately found the body of a 43-year-old Framingham resident around 7:24 p.m. An investigation is ongoing. Further inquiries should be directed to MSP and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
From Fire Chief Andrew Puntini:
At approximately 1630hrs on June 7, 2026, Southborough Emergency Communications received a 911 call for a fisherman in distress in a pond off Crystal Pond Road. Southborough Fire and Police were on scene and made contact with the calling party who confirmed a fisherman fell out of a canoe and went out of sight. Firefighters immediately donned rescue suits and entered the water to search for the missing person and the District 14 Dive Rescue Team was activated along with the Westborough Fire and Police Drone Unit.
Following the arrival of the District 14 Dive team along with Mass State Police, they mobilized divers and began search patterns in the area of the last known location. At 1921hrs the divers made a recovery of the missing person. The scene was transferred to the Southborough Police Department and Massachusetts State Police for their investigation. All resources were clear the scene by 2030hrs.
We would like to thank our mutual aid partners and the District 14 Dive and Communications team for their assistance. . .
Further questions on victim identity should be directed to the Massachusetts State Police.
