Police say a teen died on Sunday, July 23, a day after he drowned at Keizer Rapids Park.
Filemon V. Santos, 19, was swimming at the park on Saturday when he jumped off the dock and never resurfaced, according to a news release from the Keizer Police Department.
Witnesses told first responders that Santos was not wearing a life jacket and had been underwater for about 10 minutes.
Keizer police officer Iliya Kuzmenko arrived at 5:52 p.m., saw Santos about 8 feet underwater and jumped in. The officer and several other park patrons recovered his body, according to the police statement.
Kuzmenko performed CPR on the dock until medics arrived and took Santos to the Salem Emergency Department, where he was listed as being in critical condition.
Keizer police said Santos died sometime after 5 p.m. on Sunday.
“At this time, it is unknown why Mr. Santos did not resurface,” the agency said in its news release.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
