A teenager was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland for treatment of hypothermia after he swam out to a ledge off Willard Beach in South Portland on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Fire Chief Phil Selberg said people walking their dogs on the beach told firefighters that the young man sat on the ledge for about 20 minutes before swimming back to shore on his own – a distance of about 100 yards.

Emergency responders treated the teenager for hypothermia before taking him to the hospital for observation, Selberg said. Selberg said he expects the teen to make a full recovery.

Selberg said the boy, who was wearing street clothes, did not tell rescue personnel why he swam out to the ledge.

Concerned citizens notified the South Portland Fire Department at 4:50 p.m. that there was a person in distress off shore from the popular local beach.

The water temperature in Portland Harbor at 4:30 p.m. was 38 degrees. The air temperature was 43 degrees.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.com

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