MOUNT AIRY, Md. — A 13-year-old boy died during flooding in Maryland on Thursday after he was swept into a drainage pipe while playing with other children, authorities said.
Children were playing in a common area between buildings at the Watersville Apartments in Mount Airy at about 5:20 p.m. ET. Storm waters rushed down a hill as a retention pond overflowed, WBAL-TV reported. According to Mount Airy Volunteer Company spokesperson Doug Alexander, the boy was swept into the drainage pipe.
The teen was recovered from the storm drain, but “unfortunately, succumbed to injuries sustained during the event,” Mount Airy police Chief Michael Ginevra said in a statement.
“Mount Airy Police and Fire Departments, along with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and other emergency responders, worked tirelessly in an attempt to rescue the individual,” Ginerva added. “Despite their heroic efforts, the operation transitioned from a rescue to a recovery.”
The water was about waist-deep, WBAL reported.
“The child’s body was recovered and pronounced dead on the scene,” Carroll County Fire and EMS Chief Michael Robinson said in a statement.
According to The Washington Post, parts of northern Fairfax County in Virginia and southwest Montgomery County in Maryland received up to 3 inches of rain in an hour.
Just spoke with Mount Airy Vol. Fire Co. They said the boy was playing in this area of the Mount Airy Apartments on Watersville Rd when stormwater came rushing down a hill, sweeping the boy into a drainage pipe. We’ll hear more from the FD on @wbaltv11 at 10/11 tonight. https://t.co/ap0jzTbfyH pic.twitter.com/5SrqFn9ZBK
— Tori Yorgey WBAL (@toriyorgeytv) August 1, 2025
Mount Airy received 5 inches of rain on Thursday, and regions in the Baltimore area were drenched with rain between 2.5 to 5 inches.
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