19-year-old drowns on family vacation after jumping from pontoon boat, New York cops say
A 19-year-old drowned while vacationing with family in New York’s Finger Lakes region, police said.
The family, visiting from Catonsville, Maryland, were floating in a pontoon boat on Keuka Lake when their son jumped in the water for a swim on May 12, according to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office.
Ahmed Ayaz went underwater and never resurfaced after struggling to swim back to the boat, the sheriff’s office said in a May 15 news release. He wasn’t wearing a life vest, according to officials.
Keuka Lake can reach up to 183 feet deep and is one of 11 Finger Lakes formed by glaciers in central and western New York.
After authorities arrived at the lake at around 1:42 p.m., a 10-hour search for Ayaz ensued, according to officials.
With the help of sonar technology and an underwater drone, rescuers found Ayaz’s body and brought him out from the lake, the sheriff’s office said.
“Our hearts go out to the Ayaz family and our thoughts and prayers are for their recovery from this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The Finger Lakes region, south of Lake Ontario, is a vacation destination known as New York’s wine country.
Keuka Lake spans 11,584 acres and is the third largest Finger Lake in terms of surface area.
The largest Finger Lake by volume is Seneca Lake, spanning 43,343 acres and reaching up to 618 feet deep.
Catonsville, where Ayaz is from, is about 10 miles west of Baltimore.
This story was originally published May 15, 2023 at 11:44 AM with the headline "19-year-old drowns on family vacation after jumping from pontoon boat, New York cops say."
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