‘It’s dangerous;’ Rescue crews spend hours searching for swimmer in Madison Lakes

TROTWOOD — Search and rescue crews spent hours looking for a man who disappeared while swimming across Madison Lake on Saturday.

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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Trotwood Fire Department crews responded to reports of a water rescue at Madison Lakes Park on Olive Road around 12:25 p.m.

Trotwood Fire Department Public Information Officer Ralph Bowman said crews learned a man was swimming in the lake with three friends and never resurfaced.

“They were all here together, said that their friend was swimming behind them, when they got to shore, they turned around and he was gone,” Bowman said.

News Center 7 crews were on scene and saw multiple agencies including the WPAFB Fire Department Dive Rescue Team, Trotwood police, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and more.

Around 6 p.m., Bowman said the water rescue transitioned into a recovery operation.

“There are currents through this lake and the lake is also very deceiving. A lot of folks think that they can swim from one side to the other. That is one of the narratives that we have every time we come here... You get tired, and then they sink,” Bowman said.

About six boats, three underwater drones, and one dive team were looking for the man.

“They started both teams and started all resources right away because we knew the magnitude and the scale that this can be if we don’t start those right away,” Bowman said.

Emergency Scanner Traffic indicates crews suspended their search as it began to get dark around 8 p.m. and will resume efforts Sunday morning.

“Don’t swim in Madison Lakes, all the posted signage that says, ‘Don’t swim in Madison Lakes,’ and then hopefully over time, people will understand that it’s dangerous to swim and jumping around the cliffs is dangerous,” Bowman said.

We will continue to follow this story.

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