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HERRIMAN — Witnesses say they were on hold with 911 for a long time Sunday night after a young man went under the water and they claim it took too long for dispatch crews to arrive. Officials, however, say they got to Blackridge Reservoir as quickly as they could.
Sunday night at about 6 p.m., Joey Pantoja and a friend were trying to swim across the lake when Pantoja slipped underwater about halfway across.
Witnesses say about 10 people jumped in to try and help, but it was too late. After about 25 minutes of searching, Unified Water rescue found the 19-year-old in about 13-16 feet of water.
Throughout the morning, KSL has received a couple of emails from concerned witnesses saying that first responders took too long to get on scene and then get into the water.
“When we tried calling 911 we were on hold for about 5-6 minutes and heard that others that were on the line were on hold as well across the lake closer to the scene,” witness McKenna Toala told KSL in an email.
However, Desmond Johnson with Unified Fire said the dive rescue team was on the scene in four minutes and pulled out the 19-year-old in about 20-25 minutes.
KSL obtained the VECC dispatch logs from Unified Police Detective Jared Richardson and they show dispatch got the first of many calls about the drowning at 5:58 p.m. At 6:02 p.m., fire stations No. 123 and No. 103 were dispatched.
By 6:05 p.m. Unified Police Department officers showed up to the call, and just a minute later, paramedics and rescue were there.
Unified Fire Authority says that within 10 minutes of arriving, they had a rescue crew on the water.
“From the time my husband and his brother first responded to the time the diver actually got in the water, 20-23 minutes had already passed,” Toala told KSL in an email. “I am no expert on how first response or rescue dive teams handle situations or what their protocol is but, I just feel that maybe there are things that could have been done (perhaps on the drive up, and in regards to the 911 call) to save a little more time.”
Johnson said crews responded as quickly as they could and their response time was within the normal time frame.
From the time my husband and his brother first responded to the time the diver actually got in the water, 20-23 minutes had already passed. I am no expert on how first response or rescue dive teams handle situations or what their protocol is but, I just feel that maybe there are things that could have been done.
–McKenna Toala told KSL in an email
“The dispatch and arrival times were well within the appropriate response for any time of incident, especially something of this nature where it takes a little more preparation,” Johnson said.
There were about 60 people on the beach with many calling dispatch at the same time, Johnson said. For people in the middle of an emergency, minutes can feel like hours.
Witnesses were able to show the dive rescue team a better area of where the 19-year-old went under the water, leading to the recovery of the body faster.
Herriman City spokesperson Teri Moody released a statement Monday afternoon to KSL and said Herriman is "grateful for the quick actions taken by UPD and UFA."
"The City at this point just wants to clearly express their condolences to the family. We are deeply saddened by the tragic event and advise all patrons at the reservoir to take safety precautions as they use the facility," the statement from Moody read. "We have clearly posted the park rules and ask that users do not swim alone, and that they abide by the park rules in order to maintain a safe environment for all."
Officials still don't know exactly what caused Pantoja to drown as of early Monday afternoon, but they don't think rapid hypothermia is the cause because the water was relatively warm.
Police have clarified that the temperature of the water where Pantoja's body was found at Blackridge Reservoir was about 60 degrees and not in the 30s as previously reported.
The medical examiner is performing an autopsy Monday to determine the cause of death.
A fundraising page has been set up by friends for the Pantoja family at gofundme.com.
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