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Newtown, CT, USA
Newtown, CT, USA
Newtown, CT, USA
Newtown, CT, USA
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Sixteen-Year-Old Dies After Silver Bridge Incident Turns Tragic

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UPDATE #2: This report was updated again at 3:45 pm on August 1 with the latest details from the Newtown Police Department. The content of the story was also modified to provide the most recent and accurate details.

UPDATE: This report was updated at 9:20 am July 28 with added details from the Newtown Police Dept.

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A decision by several juveniles passing through Newtown on a sweltering summer day turned tragic Thursday afternoon July 27 when an unidentified 16-year-old from Bridgeport died after jumping into and being pulled from the waters beneath the Steel Bridge on Glen Road by a Newtown Police officer.

Apparently trying to cool off and jumping into Lake Zoar adjacent to the bridge, one of the juveniles involved failed to surface around 1:40 pm triggering a major emergency response. The deceased was identified by Newtown Police on August 1 as Diogo Carvalho De Miranda.

One of several Newtown police officers arriving on scene and entering the water in attempts to locate the missing swimmer, pulled the victim from the water somewhere beneath the bridge. That unnamed officer was evaluated at the scene by medical responders, but did not seek further immediate medical support.

A July 28 statement from Newtown Police confirmed the death and related condolences, saying "Our thoughts are with the family during this most difficult time, and we ask that the public respect their privacy."

The subsequent details released after the preliminary investigation August 1 clarified that the deceased died from drowning, and according to police, the drowning was accidental in nature and not the result of any criminal action.

Additionally, investigators have determined that Carvalho did not jump from the Glen Road Bridge, but entered the water from the shore, contrary to earlier reporting.

According to police and Newtown Bee staff who were near the scene, CPR was administered by rescuers before the juvenile was rushed to a Danbury Hospital for advanced care by Newtown Ambulance volunteers.

De Miranda was the son of Kelli Marques Miranda and Edson Candido de Carvalho. He had one sister. His family received friends and those offering condolences during a wake on July 31 in Bridgeport. Final disposition will be private, also according to his obituary.

Initial calls for help that came in just before 2 pm on the day of the incident activated Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Newtown Hook & Ladder, Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR), Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and a paramedic.

With Brookfield and New Milford emergency divers on alert to possibly assist, NUSAR responders were held at its headquarters after the person who went missing was out of the water.

The incident forced a road closure on both sides of the bridge, which reopened at approximately 3:15 pm.

The Steel Bridge has long been an attractive nuisance for individuals who typically park on adjacent roadways and walk onto the span, or even climb to the top of it to jump into the water below. The bridge carries the extension of State Route 6 between Newtown and Southbury, and is maintained by CT DOT, according to sources.

Signage on each end of the structure warns that jumping and fishing from the bridge is prohibited. A sign on the Newtown side of the bridge was partially obscured by graffiti. Another similar warning sign on the Southbury side appeared faded when viewed the morning after the drowning.

This incident occurred nearly two years after a 30-year-old New Zealand man died after jumping into a tributary of Lake Zoar from a Route 6 span approximately 1.5 miles south of the Steel Bridge in Southbury.

Newtown Bee Editor John Voket can be reached at john@thebee.com.

A rescue boat from Newtown Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue's rescue apparatus can be seen adjacent to the Steel Bridge on Glen Road at approximately 2:15 pm Thursday, July 27, after responding to a call for help when an unidentified swimmer jumped into Lake Zoar near the bridge and failed to resurface. —Bee Photo, Glass
A sign warning swimmers and anglers posted on the Newtown side of the Steel Bridge on Glen Road is partially obscured by graffiti. A 17-year-old died July 27 after jumping into Lake Zoar in the area of the bridge, police said. —Bee Photo, Hicks
A sign warning swimmers and anglers posted on the Southbury side of the Steel Bridge on Glen Road is worn and faded. —Bee Photo, Hicks
The Steel Bridge is quiet on the morning after a 17-year-old from Bridgeport died when he jumped into Lake Zoar from somewhere near the span failed to surface. The bridge, which carries State Route 6 between Newtown and Southbury, has been an attractive nuisance for decades, beckoning individuals to jump into Lake Zoar despite warning signs prohibiting swimming and fishing posted on both sides. —Bee Photo, Hicks
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