Thousands Donated In Memory Of Bridgeport Man Who Drowned

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Coworkers of a Bridgeport man who died after being pulled from Lake Mohegan earlier this week are collecting donations for his funeral costs. Geovanny Tapia-Zuniga was pronounced dead Sunday night at St. Vincent's Medical Center.

"He was a great friend, a hard-working employee and devoted family man," a GoFundMe page established in Tapia-Zuniga's memory said.

Tapia-Zuniga, 33, was a long-time employee at Garden Catering in downtown Stamford, according to the page, which is being operated by Garden Catering. Tapia-Zuniga is survived by a wife and 5-year-old son, the page said. He was at the Fairfield lake with his family on the day he died, according to the page.

A swimmer in distress was reported about 6:45 p.m. Sunday at the lake, but more than 30 minutes passed before Tapia-Zuniga was found underwater by divers, despite the attempts of bystanders and family members to bring him to shore.

Tapia-Zuniga is originally from Ecuador, according to the GoFundMe page, and that is where he will be laid to rest.

As of early Friday morning, nearly $8,000 had been collected for the fundraiser's $10,000 goal. Nearly 100 people had donated.

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