Ipswich

Baby, Pregnant Woman Among Those Rescued After Boat Capsizes Off Ipswich

No one on the boat was wearing a life jacket, police said

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A 14-month-old baby, a pregnant woman and three others were rescued by police after their boat capsized off the coast of Ipswich, Massachusetts, on Saturday afternoon.

Ipswich Police Officer Matthew Bodwell, who also serves as assistant harbormaster, was patrolling the water near the Clark Beach mooring area around 3:15 p.m. when he received a mayday call on his radio for a boat that had capsized, with people in the water in distress.

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Upon arrival, Bodwell saw a man in the water waving an arm for help. The officer was able to pull a pregnant woman from the water, followed by a second woman, a 14-month-old girl and two men.

The five people -- consisting of two couples in their 30s and the boat owner's child -- had reportedly fallen into the water after the 16-foot aluminum boat they were riding in capsized. None of the boaters were wearing life jackets, which are mandatory for all boaters under age 12.

Paramedics evaluated all five people, but they did not require medical attention and were dropped off by police at the boat owner's residence nearby.

Police later towed the boat to Pavilion Beach, where the owner was able to retrieve it from the water.

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