Lake Del Valle Drowning Victim Identified

LIVERMORE, CA — Authorities have identified a man who drowned in Lake Del Valle on Saturday while trying to retrieve an oar.

The victim’s name is Daniel Cullison, a 26-year-old from San Jose, according to the Alameda County Coroner’s Office.

The incident occurred just before 3:50 p.m. Saturday near a cove outside the lake’s guarded area, according to a report in The Independent News. East Bay Regional Parks officials said that Cullison jumped into the water to retrieve an oar that had fallen from his family’s boat. Witnesses told investigators that they saw a man struggling right after he jumped into the water, and he was soon submerged.

Soon after, divers from the East Bay Regional Parks Lifeguards and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Dive Unit marked the area and dove into the water to search for the victim, according to multiple reports. Cullison’s body was found at about 9:21 p.m. Saturday, according to EBRPD Police Capt. Al Elzey.

Cullison’s family told NBC Bay Area that he was a loving son and sibling whom they will miss dearly.