A man drowns at Westford Quarry on Labor Day

A man drowned at Merrill’s Quarry in Westford on Monday afternoon, according to the Westford Fire Department.

Authorities were alerted at 4:16 p.m. to a possible drowning on Vineyard Road, the fire department said a press release. The 911 caller told them a man had jumped off a ledge in the quarry and never reappeared.

Authorities from several cities, including the Lowell Fire Department dive team and the State Police Air Wing, began searching the area where the man was last seen, the release said. The dive team found the man’s body at 5:24 p.m. and pulled it out of the water.

A Tyngsborough firefighter was taken to Lowell General Hospital with minor injuries sustained during the search, the press release said.

Westford Police are investigating the drowning. No further information was released about the man or his cause of death.

WBZ TV reported that the victim was 18 years old. Officials told reporters they were urging people to stay away from the quarry, which is on private property.

“We were here just last week because of one person who stepped in,” said Mike Denehy, Westford Deputy Fire Chief. “Luckily he was rescued and is recovering.”

In 2018, a 17-year-old Lawrence boy drowned in the quarry while swimming with friends. As WBZ-TV reported at the time, officials said the swimming spot became popular after it was featured in the 2013 Adam Sandler film Grown Ups 2.

Signs around the quarry read “Keep out” but people often ignore them, Denehy told reporters Monday.

“It’s dangerous,” Denehy said. “The visibility is maybe a meter deep. When you jump in, you don’t know what’s down there.”