A Texas-based Amazon software engineer died Monday evening after being pulled unresponsive from Lake Tahoe, authorities said.
The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as Yadessa Aga, 32, of Austin. According to his LinkedIn profile, Aga worked in Austin as a software engineer for Amazon.
Officials said the case is still under investigation, and a final cause of death has not yet been released.
Deputies from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 8 p.m. Monday to the North Sand Harbor boat ramp after receiving reports of a possible water rescue at the well-known Nevada state park along Lake Tahoe’s eastern shore.
Investigators said Aga had been swimming near dusk toward a cluster of offshore granite boulders when he went under the water and became unresponsive.
Before deputies reached the scene, bystanders joined the rescue effort and carried Aga back to shore. Sheriff’s deputies immediately started CPR, and emergency medical crews continued life-saving efforts after they arrived.
“Despite those efforts, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Authorities said the incident is being handled as an apparent accidental drowning.
Justin Norton, operations manager for the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, told SFGATE that the investigation is still active.
“The case is pending further investigation, so I have no records or cause of death to release at this time,” Norton said in an email.
Aga was remembered by a colleague on LinkedIn as an “exceptional” employee and a “team player.”
Sand Harbor State Park, located near Incline Village about 30 miles southwest of Reno, attracts more than a million visitors each year.
The beach is renowned for its crystal-clear waters, white sand beaches and massive granite rock formations, making it a popular destination for swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding and boating.
According to the Take Care Tahoe public safety campaign, cold water shock contributes to an average of about seven drownings on the lake each year.
The fatal incident comes just weeks after another person died near Sand Harbor in June after reportedly experiencing distress in the water.
In August 2024, San Jose father of three Francisco Villa also drowned near Bonsai Rock on Tahoe’s East Shore before being transported to Sand Harbor, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner’s office said completed examination reports typically take between 10 and 12 weeks.
