A tragic incident unfolded when an 18‑month‑old was found face‑down in a home swimming pool in the Phoenix‑area suburb of Gilbert. The family, gathered to watch the NFL Super Bowl, called the police after discovering their child unresponsive in the water. First responders arrived around 17:30 local time, performed life‑saving measures, and transported the toddler to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
At Mercy Gilbert, the child was pronounced dead 18:20, a declaration later contradicted by a police report that showed the boy was still breathing in the hospital’s cold room minutes later. Body‑cam footage cited a physician, Dr. Aryan Toosi, who reportedly said, “please do your thing and let me do my thing,” as his colleagues instructed that the toddler still showed signs of life. Five hours after the death pronouncement, a transporter from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office arrived and found the child still breathing, prompting the boy to be flown to another hospital where he eventually recovered and was released.
Medical records for the child were not released in the police report, leaving the exact sequence of events unclear. Dr. Toosi’s attorney declined to comment, citing patient confidentiality. Police have indicated that they are recommending negligence charges against the parents after identifying a strong marijuana odor at the home, which suggests potential unsupervised access to the pool. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has yet to announce whether it will press charges. Mercy Gilbert Medical Center said it is conducting a thorough review of all aspects of the care provided, stating it is a heartbreaking situation and has declined to provide further detail.
