Lakewood Lifeguard Saves Child On 1st Day

LAKEWOOD, OH — In what has to be one of the most important first days on the job ever, a brand new Lakewood lifeguard saved a child from drowning on Monday. Jack Viglianco, 15, saw a 4-year-old boy flailing and struggling to breathe at Charles A. Foster pool and Viglianco leaped into action.

While others would have been quietly learning the ropes and staying out of the spotlight, Viglianco was perched on his towering seat looking at the pool when he saw water splashing around and a young boy shouting for help. The child's head was slipping under the water and Viglianco could see him gasping for air.

Viglianco's training kicked in. He knew this was his time.

He jumped into the pool, wrapped his arms around the child and pulled him out of the pool. He very likely saved the boy's life, WKYC reports.

The boy didn't need CPR and did not have to be transported to a hospital, WKYC says.

How did the 15-year-old, first-day-on-the-job lifeguard commemorate his first save and epic first day? He called the most important woman in his life.

"I realized oh shoot! I just saved this kid's life so I called my mom," he told WKYC.

A representative for Lakewood's Aquatics Department told Fox 8 that parents and caregivers should always keep one eye on their children. Things can go from good to bad in a second.

There were 42 rescues at Lakewood pools last year, the Associated Press says. No one was seriously injured in 2016.

Photo from Pixabay