Presumed Drowning of Minor Being Investigated

08:15PM / Wednesday, July 17, 2024Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Authorities are investigating the presumed drowning of a 14-year-old at Benedict Pond on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Great Barrington Police, first responders received a 911 call shortly before 2 p.m. of a teen who was unaccounted for in the pond's beach area.

The youth was found unresponsive in the water prior to emergency personnel arriving. Several people assisted in removing the victim from the water and CPR was immediately started. The victim was transported to Fairview Hospital, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful.

The Berkshire District Attorney's Office is actively investigating the death of the minor. The victim's name has not been released and the office said more information would be provided in coming days pending the preliminary investigation results.

The State Police Detective Unit assigned to the DA's Office is overseeing the investigation.

Responders included local Police and Fire Departments, as well as Monterey Police and Fire, New Marlborough Ambulance and Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad.

Benedict Pond is located within Beartown State Forest with access in Great Barrington and Monterey.

Tags: drowning,

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Great Barrington Unveils 9/11 Memorial Featuring World Trade Center Steel

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
12:58PM / Saturday, September 12, 2026

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A piece of history will now stand in front of the Great Barrington Fire Department, serving as a lasting reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and heroism of those who rushed in, stepped forward, and answered the call on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hundreds of community members gathered outside the Fire Department for the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial featuring a steel I-beam salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

The monument marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and its effect reached far and wide beyond New York, said Deputy Fire Chief James Mead.

"There are moments in our lives that become markers of time. Moments when we remember not only what happened, but where we were, who was beside us, and how the world somehow felt different afterwards," Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said.

"For those of us who experienced September 11, 2001 — it is one of those moments for us to share."

The acquisition of the beam was a multi-year effort initiated by the late Andy Moro, former commander of American Legion Post 298 in Housatonic, and was carried on by the Legion's second vice commander, John Morris.

Morris said he was able to obtain the warped steel I-beam through connections he made during his time as a New York City firefighter.

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