Body Recovered At Echo Park Lake After Pedal Boat Capsized

Authorities have recovered the body of a man who went missing and was feared drowned after reports that a pedal boat capsized in the water early Thursday morning.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the update via Twitter after a dive team searched the lake for hours.

Los Angeles police and firefighters responded to the 800 block of North Echo Park Avenue about 3:45 a.m. in response to a report that two people had fallen into the lake when a pedal boat capsized.

First responders located and interviewed another man who was in the boat and swam to shore when it turned over. He was later identified as the cousin of the missing man.

That man told authorities he saw his cousin "bobbing up and down in the water, struggling, trying to stay afloat (and) asking for help," according to Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Frank Preciado. "Eventually (he) saw him submerge and never come back up."

The victim's family said they had not heard from man either, so police began treating the incident as a missing person case.

They continued to search, using a helicopter to light up the area. But after about two hours, the rescue efforts transitioned to a "body recovery operation," according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials.

Two other pedal boats were also on the lake at the same time, according to LAPD spokesman Drake Madison, but were not involved in the capsizing.

Earlier in the day, authorities considered the possibility that the man managed to swim to shore.

By midday, with the pedal boats shut down and some of the lake blocked off, it was pretty quiet. A few people were trying to fish near the lily pads as two black rafts carrying divers and sonar equipment kept up the grim search for the missing man.

This story has been updated.

KPCC/LAist reporter Alyssa Jeong Perry contributed to this report.

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