On Friday afternoon, someone at Crystal Lake called 911 and reported that a child had been seen struggling to swim and then went missing.

It was assumed that the child had gone under the water, Fire Chief Greg Gentile said, and firefighters rushed to the scene and went right into the water to search.

First responders arrived from several communities to help, and eventually there was a dive team ready to search for a body.

But fortunately, it turned out that child was located and accounted for outside of the water.

“We had different reports of whether that person had come in and or out of the water, so to confirm that, we brought in the Boston Fire Dive Team and the District 14 Dive Team to do a complete, comprehensive search, and they did not find anything,” Gentile continued. “Everything was negative, and to this point we do not have anybody that’s unaccounted for. So this has been resolved.”

Rescue crews dispersed at about 6 p.m.

The call wasn’t a prank, Gentile confirmed.

“We did have witnesses that believed that there was a child that was in distress that had gone under the water,” he said. “We want to make sure we confirm, and if there is someone in that water, we do want to find them.”

Fire Chief Greg Gentile, shown here with Police Chief Timothy Cohoon, talks to reporters after a search for a missing child at Crystal Lake ended with happy news on June 12, 2026. Photo by Bryan McGonigle

The incident is likely an expensive false alarm, given the personnel involved in the rescue mission, but Gentile said being thorough is all that matters when life and safety are involved.

“It’s always a good day when everybody goes home safely,” Gentile said as crews dispersed just before 6 p.m., after a frightening few hours that ended in relief.

Crystal Lake Beach opened for the season on Monday, and during the regular season, there is a lifeguard on duty.