A warm Sunday meant a packed beach at Houghton's Pond in Milton, Massachusetts.
With so many people crowding the area, at first, no one noticed a little girl struggling in the water.
"She was swimming but, she couldn't, so then she was, like, going up and down, up and down," said 9-year-old Derek Garcia.
Garcia saw the 5-year-old girl chase after a sand bucket that had blown into the water.
"She tried to get the bucket, but that was, a little bit far away from her, so she couldn't get it," said Garcia. "So then she, like, started flipping over."
He screamed for help and caught the attention of Theodore Demorais who ran into the water.
"It was very sad, all her face was like purplish," said Demorais. "She came out of the water, and as I put here on the ground, she coughed up some water."
Massachusetts
The latest news from around the state
Milton Silva then started CPR; a skill he learned in church
"I pressed her lungs, and a lot of water came out," he said. "Then she opened her eyes like this, and I said, 'Oh my God, she's alive.'"
She was rushed to the hospital, but the two men that helped her believe she will be OK.
"This mother was so, so desperate I was crying with her," said Silva.
"It's something that I wish I didn't have to go through, but since it happened, I was glad that I was able to help," said Demorais. "I did what I could, and I'm just happy that she was good."
For his efforts, Massachusetts State Police gave Garcia a patch to say thank you.
"I wasn't there, then she would be drowning and then no one would notice," Garcia said.
The little girl was outside of the roped off area where swimming is allowed and lifeguards are watching.
