Man Jumped into Lake to Swim, Then Boat Drifted Away. He Was Last Seen Struggling to Remain Above Water

Investigators with the Truckee Police Department identified 36-year-old Juan Carlos Garcia-Guitierrez of Lancaster, Calif. as the victim

NEED TO KNOW

• Juan Carlos Garcia-Guitierrez, 36, drowned in California’s Donner Lake after jumping into the water without a flotation device over Memorial Day weekend
• “Once in the water, wind conditions caused the boat to drift away, and he ultimately was unable to reach the safety of his vessel,” police wrote
• Authorities recovered his body hours later

A man drowned in a California lake over Memorial Day weekend after jumping into the water for a swim.

The Truckee Police Department arrived at Donner Lake around 4:40 p.m. local time on 4:40 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 24, following a "report of a missing adult male who was last seen struggling to remain above water," according to a statement from police on social media.

Authorities immediately initiated "water rescue operations," but determined that the victim, identified as Juan Carlos Garcia-Guitierrez, 36, had drowned.

Garcia-Guitierrez, from Lancaster, was "recreating" on Donner Lake in a pontoon boat when he jumped into the water to swim, police said.

"Once in the water, wind conditions caused the boat to drift away, and he ultimately was unable to reach the safety of his vessel," the department wrote, noting that he "was not wearing a personal flotation device at the time."

Although police said that search operations "were nearly suspended as darkness approached," wind conditions allowed officials to keep searching into the night.

Finally, around 9:20 p.m., his body was located underwater and recovered.

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His body was released to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, which serves as the County Coroner.

"The Truckee Police Department would like to thank the Truckee Fire Protection District, the California State Parks Police, as well as the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, for their joint efforts in rescue and recovery operations during this incident," the statement concluded. "Our department and its members would also like to express their sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Garcia-Guitierrez."

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