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Belvidere Boy Drowns In Pond After Seeking Relief From The Heat

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 16-year-old Belvidere North High School student has died after being pulled from a pond where he was cooling off after a run on Tuesday.

The boy was on the high school track team, according to authorities. He was running with a friend, when he decided to jump into Blue Pond near Spencer Park to cool off.

Dan Kane, executive director of the Boone County Conservation District said the two were in the pond together, and the victim went under and never surfaced. His friend was on a fishing pier screaming and crying.

"We do not have the resources to have lifeguards, which is why it's posted – no swimming and no boating. This is exactly what we are trying to avoid," Kane said.

The boy was found by a fire department diver after about 30 minutes in 20 feet of water. He was taken to a hospital in Belvidere and later transferred to a hospital in Rockford, where he was pronounced dead.

The coroner said the cause of death was drowning.

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