5-Year-Old Gets Trapped In Pool For Hours After Getting Hand Stuck In Jet

Chapel Hill, Tennessee -- A 5-year-old boy was trapped for hours after getting his hand stuck in a jet in a Tennessee neighborhood swimming pool.

Firefighters worked for hours before the boy’s arm was finally free.

A child named Leon Johnston had taken a trip to a community pool in Chapel Hill on Tuesday when the incident took place, according to the Charlotte Observer. On a day when temperatures crept into the 90s, Leon’s hand got caught in a pool jet until rescuers freed him.

"I'm not really sure how it happened, but yes, his hand was definitely stuck," Chapel Hill Fire Chief Matthew Stout told NewsChannel 5 Nashville.

The Franklin Fire Department and other agencies arrived at the scene to help the child.

Leon’s parents, Lydia and Daniel Johnston said the time-consuming ordeal was agonizing and reassured Leon that he would be okay.

"I had to explain to him it's going to take a long time. But all these guys are here to help you get out, and we will get you out," Lydia told the outlet.

More than a dozen first responders worked for about three and a half hours and tried different methods to get Leon’s arm out.

"Initially, they tried doing things like dawn and baby oil and all kinds of things like that to get his hands free but it became apparent that it wasn't going to come out without extensive work and actually removing some concrete," Stout told NewsChannel 5 Nashville.

The rescue operation included having to drain the pool and break through concrete until Leon was finally free.

The boy’s parents appreciated their neighbors' efforts to help out during the rescue operation.

"Many of them helped us out. They watched our other children while this was going on,” Daniel told the outlet.

“There's a local company called the Air Guys,” the father went on to say. “They brought them in due to the suction and to see if they had any expertise, and they ended up actually giving us a large tent over the crews because it was almost 100 degrees yesterday.”

The Johnston family also thanked the rescue crew for dedicatedly working to help the trapped child.

"You guys were so great and keeping our spirits high and making sure we knew what was going on. And working hard to keep him safe as the whole process happened," they said, according to the outlet.

Officials took this chance to remind families about keeping pool safety in mind.

"Any part of the pool -- whether it's the skimmer or the jet or something like that -- it could potentially pose a hazard, as we found out yesterday," Stout said.