Authorities ID 32-year-old man who drowned in Lake Tahoe
A 32-year-old man died at Sand Harbor State Park in Lake Tahoe on Monday evening. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death as an accidental drowning.
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On Wednesday, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Yadessa Aga, a 32-year-old man from Austin, Texas. “The case is pending further investigation, so I have no records or cause of death to release at this time,” said Justin Norton, the operations manager for the medical examiner’s office, in an email to SFGATE.
Deputies arrived at Sand Harbor, a popular beach on Lake Tahoe’s East Shore, at approximately 8 p.m. on Monday after reports came in of a possible water rescue at the boat ramp on the north side of the state park.
At dusk on Monday, Aga swam out to a set of boulders offshore when he went under the water and became unresponsive, the sheriff’s office told SFGATE on a phone call Wednesday morning.
Bystanders brought Agato shore. When deputies arrived, he was unresponsive. Deputies immediately began CPR. After medical personnel arrived, they continued attempts to resuscitate the victim.
“Despite those efforts, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Aga was a software engineer who worked for Amazon in Austin, according to his LinkedIn page. A colleague described him as “exceptional” and a “team player.”
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More than a million people visit Sand Harbor State Park every year, according to Nevada State Parks. It’s the most popular beach on Tahoe’s East Shore, a stretch of shoreline that’s known for white sand coves, granite boulders and clear water.
Earlier this summer, in June, a person was reportedly seen in distress in the water near Sand Harbor, on Tahoe’s East Shore. They were taken to shore, but despite lifesaving attempts, the person was pronounced dead at the scene.
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In August 2024, San Jose resident Francisco Villa, a father of three, drowned on Tahoe’s East Shore, near Bonsai Rock. Villa was taken to the beach at Sand Harbor, where he was pronounced dead.
About six or seven people drown in Lake Tahoe every year on average, officials report. Many drownings are related to cold water shock.
This story has been updated.
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