Man found dead in Lake Ontario near Mississauga after becoming distressed while swimming

Emergency crews are shown searching Lake Ontario in Mississauga amid reports of a swimmer in distress on Wednesday afternoon.

A man died after he became distressed while swimming in Lake Ontario along the Mississauga waterfront on Wednesday afternoon.

Peel Regional Police (PRP) said they received multiple reports of a distressed swimmer near the Lakefront Promenade area in the city's Lakeview neighbourhood shortly before 4 p.m.

The PRP marine unit and Mississauga Fire crews were dispatched to the area and began a search of the bay. The swimmer, believed to be a man in his 60s, was found dead shortly before 6 p.m., police say.

“Preliminary information that we have at this time is that across the way at RK [McMillan] Park, there's a gazebo structure where many people picnic, and it's believed that the male swam from there across the bay here, and on his return back at some point was in a state of distress,” said PRP Media Relations Officer Tyler Bell-Morena.

“That's where he was last seen and went under the water.”

Bell-Morena says police believe the man was swimming alone.

It’s unclear what caused the man to become distressed, Bell-Morena said. However, he says police haven’t ruled out the possibility that the man had a medical episode.

“It would be speculation at this point to comment on what caused the male to become in a state of distress, but [a medical episode] certainly is a possibility and likely something that the coroner's office will look into.”

The PRP marine unit deployed their watercraft a short distance from where the incident took place, allowing crews to arrive on scene rapidly, Bell-Morena added.

“It was within minutes,” he said.

“They were in the area here, and once it was confirmed that in fact a male was in the water and there was no sighting of the male leave the water, unfortunately, it then translated to a recovery operation.”