By Peter Sclafani, Staff Writer
A 7-year-old boy narrowly escaped death at the Governor’s Pointe pool in North Brunswick last week thanks to a vigilant lifeguard who jumped into the water and pulled his body out of the pool.
Jake Burgess, a 17-year-old Hillsborough High School student, happened to be the lifeguard on duty at the local pool when he noticed a young boy had been sitting at the bottom of the pool for a prolonged period of time, said Jake’s mother, Lisa Burgess.
Without thinking, she said, Jake jumped into the pool and brought the unconscious boy to the surface. When he got him out of the pool Jake noticed the young boy was not breathing. He began to administer CPR as somebody else called the police and rescue squad.
According to his mother, Jake was able to resuscitate the boy before help arrived.
The boy, who is doing well now, was transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, where he was kept overnight for observation.
Jake works for Clear Blue Pool Management, a company that provides lifeguards and pool technicians to private and commercial pools.
According to his father, Robert Burgess, Jake is a calm person who works well under pressure. He has always loved to help people, his mother said. He has gravitated towards being a lifeguard and he wants to go into law enforcement because he wants to help people for a living.
This week Jake was at a State Police youth camp and was unavailable for comment.
For Jake, the traumatic ordeal did not end once the boy was taken to the hospital.
”Originally he was very quiet when he got home that night,” said Ms. Burgess. “He was nervous and anxious and quiet until he found out the boy was okay.” “We are very proud of Jake,” Mr. Burgess said. “He handled the situation very well. Most importantly the boy is okay.”
The Burgess family and the young boy’s family are in the process of arranging a meeting for the two boys, to which Jake is looking forward.
”As a parent, I am incredibly proud of him,” said Ms. Burgess. “A mom and dad are able to have their son back because of what Jake did that night.”

