Man Drowns Trying to Swim Across Pond with 10-lb. Rock

On Monday evening, Austin Harr, 21, of Gridley, CA, drowned on his birthday when attempting to carry a 10-pound rock while swimming across the Gridley Plunge, a pond in the Oroville Wildlife Area, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The California Highway Patrol told the Times that Harr was accompanied by his friends, but when he slipped under the water and did not surface after a few minutes, they searched for him without success, then called for help. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office used new sonar equipment to locate Harr, according to Action News.

Roughly an hour later, rescue workers found Harr; he was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. CHP officials told the Times that alcohol was involved in Harr’s death.