Teen dies after being pulled from water at Hernando park
WEEKI WACHEE (FOX 13) - Deputies say a 16-year-old died after being pulled from the water at Rogers Park over the holiday weekend, but they have since retracted their initial statement that he had jumped from an off-limits bridge.
According to new information released by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, two deputies in Rogers Park spotted someone climbing the bridge Monday afternoon. That's about when they were alerted to a teen who had entered the water and had not resurfaced.
Witnesses saw Jacob P. Sayers go underwater, then resurface on a sandbar momentarily before heading back into the water. They never saw him come back up.
While family members and others were searching for the teen, residents on Circle Drive spotted him floating in the water. He was pulled ashore about 100 yards from the park and bystanders performed CPR until the arrival of Hernando County Fire Rescue, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Deputies made a point to clarify that Jacob had gone into the water to retrieve a ball.
"Initially, it was believed that he had jumped from the bridge due to the fact that at least one witness was motioning toward the bridge and that another individual was climbing the bridge. This led first responders to believe that Sayers jumped from the bridge; however, Sayers did not jump from the bridge," Tuesday's press release stated. "It is unclear how Sayers entered the water."