Boater who died in weekend drowning at Topaz Lake identified

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Authorities have identified a man who died after drowning in Topaz Lake over the weekend.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports 32-year-old Jacques “Jack” Castaneda was confirmed Monday as Nevada’s first boating-related death this year.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife says Castaneda, another man and two children—ages 4 and 14—got caught in a storm on the lake.

Aaron Meier, the department’s boating education coordinator, told the newspaper the four were in a 12-foot (3.7-meter) aluminum vessel. It got capsized by wind 200 feet (61 meters) from shore.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office pronounced Castaneda, who was not wearing a life jacket, dead at the scene. The other three were treated at the lake and released.

Meier says the state on average sees between five and seven boating-related fatalities each year.

Topaz Lake straddles both Nevada and California.