Police Rescue: Six Kids Hike Through Remote Water Tunnel Alone, Then Realize They Can't Get Out

By Amanda Thomason April 17, 2023 at 3:32pm

Many people like to bemoan the state of the youth, saying that kids these days are glued to their electronics, have lost their sense of adventure, or are just plain lazy.

These six teens proved they are not, in a roundabout and perhaps unwise — but very ambitious — sort of way.

On Sunday, six young teenagers were exploring a water tunnel in Auburn, Massachusetts, enjoying the scarier side of the great outdoors.

They made it out again, but as they exited the tunnel, they assessed their cold, wet state and determined they wouldn’t be able to get back out of the area (which had nearly vertical sides) on their own, so they made a call for help.

The Auburn Police and fire department responded, and thanks to one of the teen’s phones, authorities were able to locate the group after pinging the phone.

“Earlier this evening Police and Fire assisted 6 juveniles from the diversion tunnel,” the Auburn MA Police Department posted on Facebook. “They were cold, wet and unable to make their way out.

“Our communications team successfully pinged their cell call to confirm their location and get first responders in the right area. This thankfully ended well with no major injuries. Another successful call with @auburnmassfire.”

The police department then contacted the teens’ parents, so they could come pick up their wayward travelers.

Thankfully, none of the adventurers was injured, aside from the normal bumps and bruises that come with hiking rough terrain, so no one needed to be taken to the hospital.

According to the fire department, the kids were in a location that was tricky to maneuver, and rescuers had to use a rope to remove them.

“At 4:15 p.m. this afternoon the Auburn Public Safety Communications Center received a 911 call from six, young teenage children reporting they were in the area of the diversion tunnel somewhere between Curtis St. and Southold Rd.,” Auburnmassfire posted on Facebook.

“They had made there way out to the tunnel and became cold and wet and were not able to make it back to land on their own.

“The Communications Center pinged the cell phone of one of the kids to confirm the location and units were dispatched. Emergency personnel made there way out to the kids and assisted them back to the sloped edge where a rope was used to get them back to dry land.”

Some of the comments left on the posts by locals were disparaging, but many commended the teens for knowing their limits along with their commendation of the rescuers.

“They did the right thing by calling for help instead of trying to hide it and make it out on their own,” one person wrote. “Kids will be kids but asking for help when needed is important. Nice job by all involved.”

One person said that a geocache was listed as being in that area but hasn’t been seen in years. Others recounted their own adventures at the site, and still others asked where it was located for their own exploration purposes.

This story turned out well and will hopefully serve as reinforcement to the young trailblazers to know their limits and be a reminder to have a strong exit plan.

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