The 27-year-old Streamwood man who died after being discovered unresponsive in a Naperville pool last week has been identified.
Naperville police reported that Manuel Jose Rosales Yajure died after being discovered unresponsive in the water at Centennial Beach early Thursday evening.
His family has hired a lawyer.
Lawyers claim video footage shows lifeguards failing to act in a timely manner.
They claim Rosales was underwater for nearly 30 minutes before being discovered unconscious by police.
“They decided to have a race from the shallow end to the landing. They assumed Manny was under water. He is on his way to the landing. “They get to the landing, but there is no Manny,” said lawyer Edward Witas. “They contacted a lifeguard and informed him that Manny was missing. They could not find him. The lifeguard responded, “Go look in the bathroom.” “Go look in the parking lot.” “They did absolutely nothing.”
Mary Lou Wehrli was walking her dog nearby when she took this video of a team of lifeguards diving in to look for Rosales.
“I witnessed the guards going through their very structured approach to trying to find someone in 15 feet of water and 6.2 million gallons of water,” Wehrli told CNN.
The Naperville Park District issued a statement saying, “Our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones. While we disagree with the timeline and information you provided, we will not speculate or comment publicly, but will continue to cooperate with the police investigation into the matter.”
Rosales leaves behind a wife and an eight-year-old daughter.
He was a barber in Addison. It was his dream to own a barbershop in the United States, which he realized earlier this year.
On Monday, the barbershop was empty. Flowers adorned his chair, and condolence notes from friends and clients hung on the mirror. A bicycle was donated to his little girl.
“Her world revolved around her father,” Rosales’ widow, Misleidy Perez, explained in Spanish.
The young family, along with his brother, left Venezuela less than two years ago.
“Everything I am, I learned thanks to him,” Yeferson Rosales said in Spanish. “He taught me how to be a good brother, how to face life.”
Naperville police said officers responded to the beach after receiving a report of a missing person who was last seen in the pool’s deep end shortly before 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
Police believe the man was in the water with a group of friends, attempting to swim to a floating dock in the center of the deep end.
When the group arrived at the dock, police reported that their friend was no longer with them. They searched the surrounding area before returning to the shore.
Police said lifeguards were eventually notified about the missing man and discovered him in the water, unresponsive, shortly after 6 p.m.
The Naperville Fire Department rushed the man to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead.
According to police, there is no evidence of foul play and they are working with the DuPage County Coroner’s Office to investigate.
The preliminary autopsy results are expected this week.
Wehrli hopes that this tragedy will serve as a reminder for beachgoers to watch out for one another.
“Anyone who comes to the beach is part of our community, and we all need to be mindful of our role in keeping each other safe,” she said.
Rosales’ family is devastated and looking for answers. They claimed their loved one was a strong swimmer, but lifeguards dismissed their concerns.
They also have to return his remains to Venezuela.
They believe that his death could have been prevented.
Centennial Beach was closed Friday and Saturday, but reopened on Sunday.
Police asked anyone with information to contact them at 630-548-1421.
