One young man is dead and another is clinging to life after a breath-holding exercise went terribly awry in Staten Island yesterday. Bodhan Vitenko and Jonathan Proce, both 21, were pulled, seemingly lifeless, from the bottom of the Lyons pool yesterday morning at around 8:25 a.m. and immediately went into cardiac arrest. For the past month they had been practicing at the 3 1/2 foot deep pool with two friends in the hopes of one day joining elite military groups. Vitenko, a John Jay College student with Navy aspirations, died about 9:45 a.m. while Proce is still listed in critical condition.
It is unclear how long the pair were underwater for—surveillance video is still being analyzed by the authorities—but a source tells us that the pair had ankle weights as part of their exercise and could have been down as long as 20 minutes. The pair were both reportedly interested in joining the Air Force's pararescue unit. About 20 other people were swimming in the pool at the time of the accident and the pool was staffed with lifeguards. In fact Proce works as a lifeguard at another borough pool, according to reports. "We're very surprised about what happened because Jonathan is a very accomplished swimmer," his uncle told reporters.
“It’s a tragic and almost incomprehensible accident. The pool is 3 1//2 feet across the entire surface. An adult can easily stand in it with their head above water,” Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said as a press conference yesterday. “They were participating in some training rituals that may have involved swimming under water.”
As authorities try to figure out what went wrong and the family of Vitenko mourns, friends and family have rushed to Proce's hospital bed as his family prays for good news. "He's a young man with a bright future who was training to become one of tomorrow's heroes," his uncle said.
