State police identify teen who drowned while swimming with friends at Westford quarry

WESTFORD, Mass. — Authorities have identified a teenager who drowned while swimming with friends at a quarry in Westford earlier this week.

Troopers and local police responding to Merrill’s Quarry around 5 p.m. Monday learned 18-year-old Chester D. Rodriguez
was swimming when he suddenly “began struggling and went under the water,” according to Massachusetts State Police.

Rodriguez, who never resurfaced, was later found by a Lowell Fire Department dive team following an extensive search that included a state police helicopter.

The Westford Fire Department confirmed that Rodriguez’s body was found in a section of the quarry where the water measures 40 feet deep.

Several signs indicating “private property” and “no trespassing” are posted at the quarry, state police noted.

A preliminary investigation indicated no evidence of foul play in Rodriguez’s death.

In 2018, a teen died after jumping into the water at the same quarry. Fire officials added that the quarry is a dangerous jumping point and only allows for a visibility of about four feet.

There were no additional details available.

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