A 9-year-old New York boy died while swimming at a popular New Jersey water park Tuesday night, police said.
Hersh Meilech Grossman, of Brooklyn, died while on a camping trip at Sahara Sam's Oasis water park, Berlin Township Police Chief Leonard Check said.
Officers responded shortly after 7:30 p.m. to a report of someone undergoing cardiac arrest, Check said. When they arrived, lifeguards were already performing CPR on Grossman after pulling him unconscious from the pool.
The boy was rushed to Virtua Voorhees Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:34 p.m., Check said.
Grossman was at the water park as part of a class trip with Belzer Talmud Torah group, the chief said. The drowning happened during a private event involving several other groups. At the time, Check said, there were some 750 to 800 people at the park.
Sahara Sam's Oasis is both an indoor and outdoor water park in West Berlin, New Jersey. It advertises options to reserve birthday parties and other private group events, the likes of which were being held at the time of Grossman's drowning.
Officials at the park said they were "deeply saddened by the incident" and maintained that guest safety is their "first priority."
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"We are completing a thorough review of the incident, which occurred during a private event, and working closely with local authorities," Sahara Sam's Director of Marketing Sharon Rushen said in a statement.
Grossman's death was ruled accidental, Check said. No criminal charges have been filed.
