MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A 22-year-old man drowned in Lake Weir during a swim near Gator Joe’s Beach Bar & Grill on Sunday.
According to multiple reports, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about a drowning from local landmark Gator Joe’s Beach Bar & Grill, 12431 SE 135th Ave., Ocklawaha, at approximately on the evening of Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Witnesses told deputies an unidentified 22-year-old man was swimming with friends when he attempted to swim out to a buoy, became fatigued and went under. Swimmers, bystanders and even nearby watercraft immediately began searching for the man, who reportedly was found within minutes and brought to the the shore.
The man was unconscious, and taken to the hospital at around 5:30 p.m.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital.