Teen Disappears During Midnight Swim In West Bloomfield Lake
WEST BLOOMFIELD (WWJ) - Authorities have recovered the body of a 17-year-old boy who disappeared under the water during a midnight swim in a West Bloomfield lake.
Police responded to Middle Straits Lake, near Richardson and Haggerty roads, around 1:15 a.m. Thursday after getting reports that the teen had jumped off of a boat into the water and never resurfaced.
The Oakland County Sheriff's dive team responded to the scene and searched the lake for hours using sonar equipment. Around 8:30 a.m., divers pulled the teen's body from the water.
The victim was identified as 17-year-old Sean Collins, a student at Walled Lake Central High School.
"In the general area where they were searching, they found the individual," said West Bloomfield Police Chief Mike Patton. "They have already retrieved his body from the water and are moving him to an offshore location to be turned over to the medical examiner."
Collins, a Walled Lake resident, was with six other friends -- three boys and three girls, ages 16 and 17 -- on a ski tow boat when the incident occurred. Police say one of the friends called 911 immediately after the teen didn't resurface.
Police say the teens admitted to drinking earlier in the day, but it's not yet clear how much of a role alcohol might have played in the incident.
"Please use caution while boating, especially at night," Byron Turnquist, West Bloomfield Fire Marshal, said in a statement. "Make sure that you are familiar with the lake and aware of your surroundings at all times."
Mark Kerney lives off the lake, which ranges from 4- to 50-feet deep in spots.
"It's very calm at night," Kerney told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "People go out late at night and, you know, a hot night like last night, you can see kids jumping off boats."
An investigation is ongoing. Patton said it's too early to say if anyone will face criminal charges in the case.
"It looks like an accident," he said. "Whether there's anyone's activities or behavior that contributed to that accident, that's something that will be reviewed."
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