An 18-year-old man drowned while swimming with his friends at a popular yet dangerous quarry in Westford on Labor Day, Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio said.
Firefighrers received a call about a possible drowning at Merrill’s Quarry off Vineyard Road around 4:16 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 4, the Westford Fire Department said on Facebook. The caller said that a man jumped off a ledge into the water and did not resurface.
Firefighters from Lowell and Tyngsborough as well as Westford police and the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing came to help with the search. The Lowell Fire dive team found the man about 40 feet below the surface around 5:24 p.m., according to WBZ-TV. The man’s name was not released.
A Tyngsborough firefighter was taken to Lowell General Hospital for minor injuries as well, the Westford Fire Department added.
Merrill’s Quarry became popular after the swimming spot was featured in the 2013 movie “Grown Ups 2.” The quarry is private property and has “No Trespassing” signs posted throughout the area, “which are plainly visibly to anybody,” Westford police said in a press release from June 2021.
“The quarry is littered with many hazards including broken glass, sharp edges from rocks, steep cliffs, unseen rock ledges just under the surface of the water and other hazards under water,” the release said. “Because of these numerous hazards, in past years many people have either been seriously injured or killed at the quarry.”
This included a 17-year-old Lawrence boy who also drowned in the quarry while swimming with friends in 2018. The investigation into the most recent drowning is ongoing, according to the Westford Fire Department.
