A 6-year-old boy was in critical condition Sunday (Oct. 15, 2017) after Aurora Rescue Team divers pulled him from an SUV submerged in a retention pond in the area of Diehl Road and I-88.

According to an Aurora Police Department Facebook post, officers responded at about 2:40 a.m. Sunday to a report that an SUV had lost control and gone into a retention pond on the south side of the intersection.

The initial investigation indicates that a 2007 Nissan Xterra driven by a 31-year-old woman from Cicero and containing four passengers — females age 21, 15 and 12 and a 6-year-old boy — exited I-88 and was turning left onto Diehl Road when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the retention pond.

All four females were able to escape, but the boy was still missing when emergency personnel arrived.

An Aurora Fire Department surface swimmer was immediately deployed to help locate the vehicle and the boy. Two Water Rescue Team divers then entered the water and began searching for the vehicle.

About six minutes later, at 3:03 a.m., the SUV and child were located about 80 feet from shore, under about 15 feet of water.

“It is believed the boy was in the water for at least 30 minutes,” Aurora Police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said in the Facebook post.

The 6-year-old was rushed to an Aurora hospital in critical condition and later transported to a Chicago hospital. At least one of the other occupants of the vehicle was also taken to an Aurora hospital and released after observation.

The driver told police the five were at a party in Aurora and were returning back to Cicero prior to the crash. Although police did not release any names, all five occupants are from the same address in Cicero, and police believe they are all related.

“Alcohol use is thought to be the main factor in the crash,” the Facebook post said, although weather might also have been a factor.

Charges are expected to be released today (Monday, Oct. 16. The driver is being held in the Aurora Police Department lockup.

Aurora Police Department traffic investigators are heading up the investigation.

SOURCE: Aurora Police Department Facebook page