Port St. Lucie police identify drowning victim

Port St. Lucie police are identifying the victim of a drowning as 44-year-old Nariendra Sudama. They said Sudama, a Port St. Lucie resident from Trinidad and Tobago, went swimming at McCarty Ranch Preserve lake on Thursday.

According to police, Sudama went swimming, went underwater and never came back up. Officials believe it was an accidental drowning and Sudama possibly hit his head underwater.

“Divers went down. They located a ridge, about 20 feet out about 25 feet deep. It’s got a hard surface," said Assistant Police Chief Leo Niemczyk. "They were able to walk along it and locate our victim.”

Authorities said drone and marine units responded to the scene. They added the search went on for five hours and then Sudama's body was found.

Police notified Sudama's family. WPTV reporter Zitlali Solache spoke with Sudama's aunt who said he was celebrating a friend's birthday when things took a turn for the worse.

“They’re traumatized, very upset," stated Niemczyk. "They were here all the time and they’ve stayed by the whole time while we were trying to recover."

The lake is a no-swim zone because of alligators.

“Please, out here in McCarty Ranch there is no swimming for obvious reasons, shared Niemczyk. "We do have a large gator in the area. It’s just not safe. This is not a facility for swimming.”

Police said the water is full of alligators — but there is no indication in Sudama’s body that an animal was involved.

According to a preliminary investigation, the adult male was with a group of five to six others and was roughly 10 feet from shore when he went under and did not resurface.

WPTV reporter Zitlali Solache spoke with several family and friends of Sudama who said he was truly loved by Port St. Lucie community members.