Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old man after he reportedly entered Lake Nipissing and went missing on Tuesday.
According to the SIU, police were dispatched to the area of Main Street West and Memorial Drive in North Bay at about 5:50 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a vehicle driving erratically.
Prior to the arrival of North Bay police, the vehicle became involved in a single-vehicle crash in the area of Jet Avenue and 10th Street, the SIU says.
Both occupants of the vehicle fled on foot. The 20-year-old man who was driving headed toward Lake Nipissing, the SIU adds.
When police, fire services and EMS arrived on scene, the SIU says the man entered the lake.
Despite repeated requests for the man to get out of the water, he swam further away from shore until emergency personnel lost sight of him, the SIU says.
The man’s body was recovered on Wednesday afternoon from Lake Nipissing by the OPP’s dive team, Monica Hudon, the SIU’s communications coordinator, said in an email.
According to Hudon, the date for the man’s post-mortem examination is to be determined.
The SIU says anyone with information can contact the lead investigator on the case at 1-800-787-8529.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.