A Brewster woman is dead following a tragedy Monday evening that involved the rescue of a 6-year-old girl from Lake Gleneida in Carmel, officials say.
New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Carter Strickland said in a statement that the investigation indicates that "a 6-year-old child was wading/swimming with a 59-year-old woman" in the lake, where swimming is prohibited. Police have identified that woman as Pamela Kaner, 59. She is listed as an Oak Street resident.
"Two men and a woman in a row boat observed a child holding onto a body in the middle of the lake crying for help," Strickland said. "The child was not wearing a life vest. The boaters placed a life vest on the child and brought her to shore where they notified the Carmel Police."
The girl was not injured, police said. Kaner was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death is not yet known, according to officials.
Police received word of the incident around 5:15 p.m. By 8 p.m., responders—including members of the DEP Police, Carmel Police, New York State Police, , Carmel Fire Department, Carmel Volunteer Ambulance and the Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department dive team—had cleared the area.
“We are saddened by the tragedy that occurred last night on Lake Gleneida, and are working with Carmel Police to determine what happened," Strickland said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
The death comes following a slew of recent water related deaths in the Peekskill-Cortlandt area, including a who drowned in a Peekskill pool, an drowned in a pond and, most recently, the drowning of a in the Hudson River.
Westchester County officials urge residents to be safe in the water. For County water safety tips, click .
