Smithfield Police ID Swimmer Drowned In Georgiaville Pond Tuesday

SMITHFIELD, RI — Smithfield police have identified the swimmer who drowned Tuesday night in Georgiaville Pond. He is Christian Araujo, 19, of Pawtucket. The fire department's dive teams started looking for him around 8 p.m. after people on the beach told a patrol officer their friend was missing. He had last been seen swimming from the island towards the beach.

The divers found him around 9:45 p.m. His body was taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to the fire department's deputy chief, about eight similar incidents have happened on that pond over the past 30 years. One problem is the island. It looks closer to the beach than it really is, and swimmers are deceived by the actual distance. Another issue involves water temperature. It's still cold, and on top of that situation, the pond has cold springs. A swimmer can be going along and run into one of those. But the biggest issue last night, the lifeguards weren't on duty. To stay safe, people should avoid restricted areas and stay out of the water when there's no lifeguard.