Detroit Man, 21, Drowns While Swimming At Oakland County Park: Sheriff

MILFORD TOWNSHIP, MI — A Detroit man drowned in a Milford Township lake Saturday, the fourth drowning in an Oakland County lake this July, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Police said the 21-year-old Detroit man was swimming with a friend at Martindale Beach in Kensington Metropark at 6 p.m. Saturday when he began struggling and went underwater in the marked swimming area.

Investigators believe the man tried to grab a nearby buoy, but could not hold on, according to the sheriff's office.

The friend did not speak English, making it difficult to alert others on the beach that his friend was struggling in the water, according to the sheriff's office.

Another swimmer in the area saw the man go under the water and was able to alert authorities, according to the sheriff's office.

Dive teams then found the unresponsive man in roughly 6 to 8 feet of water, 50 yards from the shore, according to the sheriff's office.

He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died, according to the sheriff's office.

"A source of great fun and joy can become a location of tragedy as we have seen far too often in our lakes this summer," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "I encourage people to have emergency capabilities nearby including flotation devices and watch each other while in the water. If you are not a strong swimmer, it’s a good idea to wear a flotation device."

Officials were still investigating the incident.

The incident is the fourth Oakland County drowning in the last three weeks and the tenth so far this year, according to the sheriff's office.

The other July drownings were:

• On July 6, a 62-year-old Detroit man fell off a boat and into the water on White Lake and did not resurface.
• On July 16, a 21-year-old Highland Township swimmer drown in Townsend Lake in Independence Township
• On July 20, a 20-year-old Detroit man drowned while swimming with a friend in Taylor Lake in Rose Township.