A Wasilla man died Saturday evening after swimming at a state park swimming hole near Palmer, according to Alaska State Troopers.
AST responded to the Matanuska Lake area, formerly Kepler-Bradley, around 6:00 p.m. Saturday for a report of CPR in progress.
Troopers say James Evangelestomp, 23, was swimming in the lake, "when he submerged under water for an unknown reason and did not resurface."
Witness accounts say Evangelestomp may have been teaching his girlfriend's sister how to swim when something happened.
"I guess the girlfriend said that he got stuck in a net at the bottom somehow when he was swimming there, teaching her younger sister to swim," Noah Stamm, a first responder, said in a phone interview. "It's a really local swimming hole area and everyone goes there. I think they should really clean it up and now someone's dead because it's not a clean swimming hole, so I think something needs to be done."
Mat-Su Borough EMS transported Evangelestomp to Mat-Su Regional Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Troopers say his family was on scene and no foul play was suspected.
Editor's Note: KTUU's Samantha Angaiak contributed to this story.
Contact Neil Torquiano
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Wasilla Man Dies at State Park Swimming Hole near Palmer
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