Swimmer Found Dead in Bridgeport Identified

The death of a 20-year-old Bridgeport man who was found in Fountain Lake in Ansonia on Saturday has been ruled accidental, according to Ansonia police.

Jorge Ortiz disappeared while swimming with friends in Fountain Lake on Saturday and his body was found under 15 feet of water after a lengthy search.

Police said his friends noticed he was missing from the group as they got to shore after enjoying a day of swimming in the lake.

Ortiz was reported missing at around 4:15 p.m.

"It's not an area where a lot of people swim, but occasionally people do come here. It's not posted no swimming, but there's no lifeguard," said Lt Wiliams, of Ansonia Police. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

Search and rescue crews from several area towns assisted in the search, with divers scouring the murky water.

"One of the biggest problems is once you get divers into the water you end up kicking up mud and debris and you basically have no visibility at all," said Seymour Fire Chief, Jim Smith. 

Ortiz was found shortly before 8 p.m.

With a hot summer expected, officials warn people to be smart as they plan to cool off in area lakes.

"Have the ability to swim. Know the water is quite cold. If you're diving into water, know how deep the water is and what's below the surface."

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