Family Beach Trip Turns Tragic When CNY Teen Drowns in Reservoir

A family trip to the beach turned tragic when a Syracuse, New York teen drowned in an Oswego County Reservoir.

19-year-old Dylan Dunn was spending the day at the Salmon River Reservoir off County Route 17 in the Town of Redfield with his family on Sunday, June 27. Around 4:00 PM Dylan and a 12-year-old family member were swimming with a large piece of driftwood. The two swam across the reservoir to the south shore, where they got out of the water and walked the shoreline.

State Police says the two found a spot where they felt it was close enough to swim across. But they got about halfway across when Dylan started to go underwater and was yelling for help. The family member tried to help him but was unable to. The 12-year-old then swam the rest of the way across the reservoir to call for help.

The Oswego County Sheriff’s Dive team was called in to search for Dylan. His body was located about 80 feet from the shore. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Swim Safety

The American Red Cross offers important swimming safety tips:

Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.

Always swim with a buddy; do not swim alone.

Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.

Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.

Maintain constant supervision.

Make sure everyone in your family learns to swim well.

If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers. Many children who drown in home pools were out of sight for less than five minutes and in the care of one or both parents at the time.

If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
Have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.

Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.