MCSO: Man dead after watercraft overturns on Lake Pleasant

LAKE PLEASANT, Ariz. – A man is dead after he and his wife fell off a jet ski this afternoon in Lake Pleasant. 

What they’re saying:

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office says both people were wearing life jackets, but this does bring up an important reminder about water safety as summer draws near. 

“A drowning is just devastating to everybody that’s involved,” said David Moyer, Public Information Officer at MCSO said. 

What we know:

A unit was called out to Lake Pleasant on Easter Sunday for reports of two people who fell off a jet ski. 

When they got to the scene a woman told them she was riding on the jet ski with her husband when something went wrong. 

“They had just rented the jet ski at Scorpion Bay. The female stated that it was having some sort of mechanical issues and they were attempting to make a u-turn when they both fell off to take it back,” said Moyer. 

The couple had life jackets on but for some reason, the wife says her husband ended up face-down in the water. 

“She attempted to roll him over. She couldn’t get him rolled over,” Moyer said. 

Dig deeper:

MCSO says other boaters tried to help resuscitate the man. 

“We thank them, obviously, for stopping to assist. They obviously saw somebody in distress, so they did come to their aid and they did the best they could do at that point,” he said. 

Tragically, the man was pronounced dead on scene. 

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First responders said conditions at the lake may have played a role in the incident. 

“We had higher winds today, so that may have been a factor as well,” Moyer added. 

He advised all visitors to be vigilant around water, which can be unpredictable. 

“People need to pay attention to the water. They need to pay attention to other boaters and everything changes here frequently and during the day it can go from one extreme to the next,” he said. 

What’s next:

An autopsy will determine this man’s exact cause of death. 

At this time the names of those involved have not been released. 

We’ll provide more information when it becomes available.

Map of Lake Pleasant:

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