Authorities Search Lake Piru for Man
A North Hollywood man may have drowned late Sunday at Lake Piru, authorities said.
On a weekend boating trip at the lake, the man, whose identity was not immediately available, apparently decided to go swimming although he apparently did not know how.
“What we understand is that even though he could not swim, he thought he would get into the water wearing a life vest,” said Mike Mason, a civilian pilot for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department aviation bureau. “However, when he got in, he started struggling and floundering about.”
Family members aboard their rented boat threw him three life vests but he apparently continued to sink. A man aboard the boat dived into the lake to save him but apparently could not get to him in time, Mason said.
A sheriff’s helicopter unit and a search-and-rescue dive team spent several hours Sunday evening combing the lake. As of 9:15 p.m. he had not been located.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
