LAKE PLEASANT - The body of a teenage resort employee was pulled from the bottom of Lake Pleasant today, about 72 hours after his life jacket fell off while he was learning to swim.
Hamilton County Sheriff Karl Abrams said the body of Anthony Perez, 19, was found in 39 feet of water off the shore of Camp-of-the-Woods, a Christian camp and conference center where he had worked for six weeks.
The Sheriff's Department and other officials and volunteers had been searching for Perez since about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, when camp officials called 911 to report a possible drowning. He'd been kayaking with a friend and was about a quarter-mile from shore when they entered the water, Abrams said.
His friend planned to teach Perez, a non-swimmer originally from New York City, how to tread water. But his life preserver wasn't correctly fastened and he slipped beneath the lake's surface. His friend was unable to rescue him.
No foul play is suspected. It's a "tragic accident," Abrams said.
State police divers located Perez using sonar at 11:59 a.m., following three days of water and aerial searches, as well as dragging the lake's bottom. The recovery was slowed this morning when low cloud cover forced a morning search by airplane to be postponed and 15 mph winds left the lake's surface choppy.
Abrams said Perez's body may have been slow to rise to the surface because of cold water temperatures.
Perez, who grew up in the Bronx, lived in Watervliet and attended Hudson Valley Community College. He was employed as a cook at the resort's dining hall, and also worked on the preseason crew, preparing facilities and grounds for the summer season.
In a Facebook post two days after beginning at the resort, Perez spoke of the difficult but rewarding time he was having at camp.
"Having such a wonderful time here at Camp-of-the-Woods with my new Christian family singing worship songs and telling stories," he wrote. "Work is harsh though and really pits me against frustration."
The camp employs more than 200 workers in the summer, according its website. The day of the incident, Camp-of-the-Woods was beginning a sellout week, with nearly 1,000 guests arriving that weekend to hear Ravi Zacharias, an internationally acclaimed Christian speaker and apologist.
Steve Tamm, the resort's vice president for operations and marketing, said in a statement Monday the resort is deeply saddened.
"Our heartfelt prayers go out to his family and friends, and we ask that everyone would join us in praying for them and for the search and rescue team that has been working so diligently," the statement said.
Perez's family arrived Monday afternoon and was brought to the command post in a Camp-of-the-Woods van. Many of them do not speak English and consulted with the sheriff and Undersheriff Kevin Braunius through a translator. Abrams said the family is understandably distraught and is staying at the camp.
Starla Jensen, a Camp-of-the-Woods guest from Sioux City, Iowa, said the situation is sad. She said at the Monday morning chapel service the guests were asked to pray for the family. Another guest, Laura Ditthardt, from Leesburg, Va., said the news was shocking. The women's arrival on Saturday was around the time the accident took place.
State police and the Sheriff's Department were assisted by divers from the St. Johnsville Fire Department Special Ops unit, state forest rangers and Environmental Conservation police and volunteers.
Barbara Cook covers southern Hamilton County. She can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com
