Dad dies after rescuing son from drowning in California lake, sheriff’s office says

A man died after saving his son from drowning in a California lake, the Napa County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a drowning victim at the lake on July 3, the release said. They found the victim was 35-year-old Marciallo Perez, who was from San Pablo.

Witnesses said Perez entered the water to keep his young son from drowning. His son survived, but Perez was “unable to swim back to shore” and drowned, according to the release.

The sheriff’s office said the incident is a reminder that people should wear life jackets when they’re on boats or in the water.

The drowning was the second one at Lake Berryessa within a week, the release said. On June 27, 16-year-old Demetrio Nathaniel Perriatt drowned in the same lake, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The lake can be deceptively deep, KTVU reported.

“You go and get into the water,” Lt. Jon Thompson with the Napa County Sheriff’s Office told the outlet. “You’re standing in 2 feet of water. You take a step, and you’re in 10 feet of water. It’s a slope. There’s a drop-off and anything can happen when you get in here.”

Despite the potential danger, the lake remains popular with visitors. At least 336 people have drowned at the lake since 1957, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Lake Berryessa is about 67 miles west of Sacramento.

This story was originally published July 4, 2022 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Dad dies after rescuing son from drowning in California lake, sheriff’s office says."