The 20-year-old man who fell overboard into Merriman Pond in Watertown while fishing with a friend Monday has died, according to the police department.
Police have identified the man as James Donahue, 20, of the Oakville section of Watertown.
According to police, Donahue was out fishing with a friend when he apparently suffered a medical emergency, causing him to fall from the boat. They have classified his death as a drowning but said authorities are still investigating to determine how it happened.
Watertown police and firefighters were called to Crestbrook Park on Northfield Road around 2:18 p.m. Monday for a water rescue. Fire officials said a passenger in a small flat-bottomed fishing boat reported that Donahue had fallen overboard and directed them where to go.
First responders immediately went into the water to search for Donahue. The Region 5 Dive Team and other neighboring agencies also responded to search for the missing man.
Witnesses told police that they didn't see Donahue resurface after falling off the boat into the water and that he may have been underwater for five to seven minutes.
About 45 minutes later, one of the divers, a firefighter, found him in about 10 feet of water and pulled him back to the surface. First responders immediately began CPR and continued medical treatment on the way to Waterbury Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
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The fire chief said Donahue's friend kept the boat anchored near the place Donahue fell in, which helped emergency responders track him down. He does not believe Donahue was wearing a life preserver.
Police and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection are investigating.
The medical examiner's office is scheduled to do an autopsy on the body.
Police said that they cannot rule out the possibility that a medical event caused Donahue's fall and subsequent drowning, based on the preliminary investigation.
