GROVELAND — Chief Jeffrey T. Gillen reports that the Groveland Police Department is investigating after a hunter’s boat capsized early Thursday morning.

The Groveland and Georgetown Police and Fire Departments responded at 6:28 a.m. to a location on the Parker River near Thurlow Street and the Parker River Bridge. Upon arrival, rescuers found that a 44-year-old Salem man was in the water. The man was hunting when his boat turned over.

A Groveland firefighter and Groveland police detective went in the water and brought the man to the shore. The hunter was taken by Trinity Ambulance to a local hospital and is expected to recover. The Groveland police detective was evaluated for hypothermia but declined further medical attention.

Later, a Groveland firefighter and Georgetown police officer used the Georgetown Fire Department boat to re-enter the water in an attempt to retrieve the canoe and the hunter’s shotgun from the water. While towing the canoe back to the shore, the fire boat struck something under the water, possibly a submerged log, and it capsized. The two first responders were pulled out of the water by other firefighters on shore. Both were transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

Chief Gillen later received word that the hunter and both rescuers were later released from the hospital.

A Massachusetts State Police Dive Team is working to recover the shotgun from the water. The canoe was recovered and brought to shore, and the Georgetown Fire Department is evaluating damage to its fire boat.

The hunter’s canoe launched from a spot in Georgetown but was recovered geographically in the Town of Groveland.

The incident is under investigation by the Groveland Police Department with assistance from the Georgetown Police Department. The Massachusetts Environmental Police and West Newbury Fire Department also responded to the scene. The Environmental Police are investigating to determine if the Salem man was hunting legally in the area, which is known as the Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area.

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Groveland Police Department Investigating after Hunter’s Boat Capsizes

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