Man Riding Jet Ski Drowns In Lake Lanier

BUFORD, GA — A man who has been riding his jet ski in Lake Lanier drowned Friday evening, according to emergency officials.

Gwinnett County firefighters were called at 6:52 p.m. to 1380 Buford Dam Rd. in Buford. There, witnesses reported seeing a jet ski circling in the lake without an operator. It was located in the water about 100 feet from a boat ramp.

Emergency responders from Gwinnett and Hall counties began searching the lake, along with crews from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At about 8:26 p.m., Hall County divers located a body underwater about 30-40 feet from the boat ramp.

The victim was a 21-year-0ld man from Suwanee. He had been attending college in Florida and was home visiting family for the Labor Day holiday, according to a Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services spokesman. Authorities had not released the victim's name as of Saturday.

His mother told authorities he'd gone to the lake to ride his jet ski and that was the last time family members saw him. He was not wearing a life jacket when he was found.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident.

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File photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch