Father asks for help after 4-year-old swept away by Merrimack River

The father of a 4-year-old boy who was swept away by the Merrimac River on Sunday is asking for the public’s help finding his son. 

Joan López told NBC 10 Boston his son fell in the water while he was near the river, saying the boy was wearing black pants, blue and white sneakers, and a red fuschia shirt at the time. 

“​​He was with his mother and I don’t know how to explain what happened because I wasn’t there,” Lopez told the station in Spanish. “His mother told me he fell into the water. I don’t know if he slipped or what happened.”

Lowell police said first responders were called to the river by the Western Canal and Arcand Drive around 5:44 p.m. on Sunday for a report that a 4-year-old boy was in the water. 

“Preliminary indications are that the boy was quickly pulled by the current into the Merrimack River,” police said Sunday. 

Local and state police have been searching for the boy in the area and downstream, according to authorities. 

Lopez told Telemundo New England and NBC10 Boston he remains hopeful. 

“We will continue the search downstream with faith in God that we will find him… now what we need is community support to help us find him, even if it’s just the body,” López said.

The investigation into how the boy ended up in the water is ongoing, police said.