A memorial consisting of photographs and mementos sits outside Roberto Martinez’s family home on Pendleton Avenue in Springfield. He died Friday saving a 14-year-old who was drowning. (Christine Charnosky)
By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY
Correspondent
It’s not surprising that 18-year-old Roberto Martinez died helping someone.
“It was natural for him to help everyone,” Pastor Evelyn Edwards, family spokesperson, said.
Initial reports indicated that Martinez died while saving his 14-year-old sister from drowning, but due to the language barrier, that information was incorrect.
Martinez had been swimming in the Westfield River off Russell Road in the vicinity of the old Sheraton Restaurant, when his brother, Carlos Martinez’s girlfriend, 14-year-old Nicole Santiago, began to drown. Edwards said that Santiago is also Roberto Martinez’s girlfriend’s sister.
According to Edwards, Martinez was at the area for a family picnic, so his parents and his five younger siblings, the youngest being 6 years old, were all there.
His father had told them not to go swimming there, Edwards said, but Roberto said he’d be fine.
Nicole (Nicolee) Santiago wrote on her Facebook page, “I was drowning in a 10ft river and when my boyfriend [Carlos Martinez] his dad and him [Roberto Martinez] they saw me the swimmed over to me and save me.” Carolos, 14, said in an interview Wednesday that Roberto was able to throw Nicole to him, and he got her into the shallow water.
A memorial consisting of photographs and mementos sits outside Roberto Martinez’s family home on Pendleton Avenue in Springfield. He died Friday saving a 14-year-old who was drowning. (Christine Charnosky)
After Carlos and his father brought Santiago to safety, they turned around to see Roberto going under.
Edwards and Carlos said that Roberto had an asthma attack, which caused him to drown. An autopsy was performed on Monday, but those results were not yet available.
A 911 call was made at 6:13, but the adults only spoke Spanish, so the information relayed to dispatch was confusing, according to Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe.
Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan said that when she and her crew arrived on the south side of the river, off Route 20/Russell Road, Martinez was on the north side of the river, but that information had not been made clear.
Therefore, three firefighters, a paramedic and police officer swam across the river to reach Martinez and started CPR until an ambulance, which had been rerouted to the north side of the river–accessible only through corn fields–arrived.
“They did everything to save him,” said Regan, but he was pronounced dead at 7:12 p.m. Friday night at Noble Hospital.
Regan said there is usually at least one drowning in the Westfield River every year.
Near the bank, the river is only a few feet deep, but then “it was way over my head,” Regan said.
“It’s a weird river because it’s a winding river,” said McCabe, “so elbows create deep pools and that’s where the swiftest currents are.” The area where Martinez drowned is 100 yards wide, he said.
There are jersey barriers and chains along with “no trespassing” signs that try to prevent people from swimming in the river, he added.
Edwards, who owns the Springfield Radio Station, La Hora Zero (translated The Zero Hour), WLHZ 107.9 FM, collected more than $3,000 for Martinez’s funeral, but the family still needs $3,500 to bury Martinez.
Carlos and friends have been standing out at the Six Corners area of Springfield raising money for funeral expenses. Edsel Diaz, 14, said they raised $360 yesterday.
“He was kind and funny,” Edsel said of his neighbor Roberto.
Carlos said that Roberto, “always made us laugh in bad times and good times.”
Roberto Martinez’s Instagram profile, user name FreshKidRoberto reads in part, “I like my life. Family and friends matter. Live life right.”
Donations can be dropped off or mailed to the radio station located at 464 Main St., Springfield, MA 01105 or dropped off at the Puerta Del Cielo Funeral Home, 730 State Street, in Springfield, which is handling the funeral arrangements.
