Elderly woman dies after swimming incident at Hammonasset Beach

An 94-year-old Chester woman died after she was pulled from the water at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Thursday.

An elderly woman died after she was pulled from the water at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Thursday.

Emergency crews in the evening hours responded to the beach on the report of a swimmer who went under the water and did not come up, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

A 94-year-old Chester woman was pulled from the water and unresponsive, a spokesperson for DEEP said. An off-duty nurse started performing CPR until medics arrived.

The victim was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to DEEP.

A DEEP spokesperson said the woman’s name is being withheld until next-of-kin notifications are made.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was expected to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

EnCon police are investigating.

According to DEEP, the response to Hammonasset included EnCon police, the Madison Police Department, Madison Fire Department, off-duty lifeguards and EnCon Rangers.