Man Drowns Trying To Save Woman At Calf Pasture Beach: Norwalk Police

NORWALK, CT — A 60-year-old Norwalk man drowned late Sunday afternoon at Calf Pasture Beach while trying to help a woman who fell into the water, according to police.

In a news release, Police Lt. Terrence Blake said the department received multiple reports of an unconscious person in the water near the Coast Guard Auxiliary building at Calf Pasture Beach around 4:45 p.m.

Police, along with the department's Marine Unit and Norwalk firefighters and EMS, were immediately sent to the area.

An officer assigned to Calf Pasture Beach noticed people pulling an unconscious man to shore and assisting a conscious woman. A bystander had begun performing CPR on the man, which the officer took over, Blake said.

Firefighters assisted with performing CPR on the man, who was identified as Mauricio Rodas-Garcia, 60, of Norwalk. An ambulance then brought Rodas-Garcia to Norwalk Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Blake said.

An investigation revealed Rodas-Garcia and the woman had been walking on a partially submerged sandbar at the beach when the woman fell into the water and struggled to get back to shore due to the current, Blake said.

When Rodas-Garcia tried to help the woman, he went under the water and did not surface, Blake said.

Helpful bystanders found Rodas-Garcia just under the surface of the water, Blake said. The woman was not injured.

According to the Norwalk Hour, Luis Mario Rodas said his older brother, who worked as jeweler and has five adult children from previous marriages, was trying to help his wife after she lost balance while the couple was wading in the partially submerged sandbar.

A woman who was on the beach when the incident occurred said it took a few minutes for people to realize there was a problem before heroic bystanders stepped in to help, The Norwalk Hour reports. A city official said signage in this area of the beach notes there is no lifeguard on duty there.

"The members of the Norwalk Police Department extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Rodas-Garcia," Blake said in a news release. "The Norwalk Police Department also commends the bystanders who brought both people back to shore and rendered aid."