Stranded at Dawn: Midnight Trespasser Rescued by Boat from Fair Lawn Pool—Because He Couldn’t Swim
photo courtesy of the Fair Lawn Police Department
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fair Lawn NJ, Imagine sneaking into a public pool under the cover of darkness, successfully making it to the diving platform in the dead center, and then realizing one major detail: you don’t know how to swim.
That is exactly the bizarre reality Fair Lawn police and emergency responders faced early Sunday morning, June 28, 2026. What started as an after-hours trespasser report quickly turned into a full-blown water rescue mission.
The Pre-Dawn Emergency at Memorial Pool
According to Fair Lawn Police Sergeant Eric Eleshewich, officers responded to a call at Memorial Pool, located at the intersection of Berdan Avenue and First Street, just before 4:00 AM. The report detailed a trespasser inside the closed, dark facility.
Upon arrival, officers spotted a 23-year-old man from Paterson. He had managed to navigate his way to the platform in the middle of the pool. However, once he was out there, panic likely set in—he was completely unable to swim back to the edge.
Fair Lawn Heavy Rescue Deploys the Boats
With the trespasser effectively stranded in the deep end, local authorities had to scale up their response. Fair Lawn Heavy Rescue was called to the scene, launching a rescue boat into the public pool to safely retrieve the stranded man and bring him back to dry land.
Thankfully, the man was uninjured, but his early morning swim didn’t come without consequences. Police issued him a summons for using the park after hours.
Police Issue a Blunt PSA: “Know How to Swim”
The Fair Lawn Police Department didn’t mince words when addressing the incident on social media, quoting the famous Roger Alan Wade song: “If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.”
“So if you’re gonna be a 23-year-old adult and trespass at Memorial Pool, at least know how to swim… Anyway, thanks to our emergency responders who were able to get this young man to safety. This is our PSA: do not trespass after hours at Memorial Pool.”
Local residents are being reminded that public parks and pools have strict after-hours policies for a reason—not just to protect the property, but to prevent dangerous situations just like this one.
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