INDIANAPOLIS — A death investigation is underway after a 75-year-old man was pulled from a pond on the north side of Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency crews responded to the 5700 block of Northdale Lake Court, near Keystone Avenue and Kessler Boulevard Drive, shortly after 3:30 p.m. May 22 after someone called 911 after seeing a boat on the lake but did not see the owner who usually fishes from the boat.
Firefighters arrived and found the boat partially submerged about 40 feet from the shore.
Approximately 20 minutes later, divers located the man, later identified as 75-year-old William Bracken. Medics transported Condon to IU Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Condon was fishing from his boat when he fell in the water for unknown reasons.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday, May 23.
At 3:28 p.m., members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) and Pike Township Fire Department
Judy Canada said after she ran her errands on Wednesday, she came home and noticed her neighbor wasn’t in his usual spot — in his boat on the lake with a fishing rod.
“We always watch him," Canada said. "He has a bigger boat over here, but he was using his smaller boat. I noticed it was tipped in water, and so I came out to see if he was in it. He wasn’t. So I went in his apartment and called for him, but he didn’t answer."
Canada eventually called 911. When the first responders arrived, they didn’t have to look far to find the boater.
"It was really scary to have so many people here. I saw them pull him out. It crushed us," Canada said. "He was a grumpy Vietnam veteran, but we loved him."
The recovery is something neighbor Brad Wood said he won't forget seeing.
“It’s disturbing seeing anybody die. It's horrible." Wood said.
Canada said she did all she could.
“I just wish I had been home sooner. I would have seen that boat empty, and I would have called sooner. But it wasn’t to be,” Canada said.
The victim has yet to be identified by the coroner, but the fisherman’s neighbors said the lake was his happy place and he was usually the only fisherman on it.
“He kind of acted like he owned the lake,” Canada said.
“You look out here, he would be on his little boat, fishing away,” Wood said.
Canada and Wood said they're going to miss their lone fisherman.
“It will be OK. It’s going to be hard knowing they’ll have to clean out his place and take his little red scooter. We will miss him a lot,” Canada said.
Officials from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indianapolis Fire Department, Pike Township Fire Department and Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services assisted Indiana Conservation Officers in the investigation.
Indiana Conservation Officers are reminding people to always wear a life jacket when on or near any body of water.
NOTE: Indiana DNR issued a correction on the man's name who died.