Austin police have recently released the 911 audio from the night Jason John, age 30, drowned in Lady Bird Lake back in February 2023. The dispatch recordings, obtained by CBS Austin, feature a hotel front desk employee and a man named Chris, who claimed to have seen the individual fall into the water and attempted a fruitless rescue.
John's body was located near 30 East Avenue, a week after he was reported missing, following an outing with friends. The audio provides a haunting picture, "There's a man, a young man up there, about a hundred yards away in front of me, puking, and just stumbling around and puking into the breeze," Chris recounted to the dispatcher. In light of the incident, the city has added more solar lighting and fencing along the trail to enhance safety measures.
Further details from a separate source, KXAN, reveal that the call originated from the Holiday Inn's front desk, where a sopping-wet Chris arrived to report the incident. "He’s drenched. He’s drenched. I guess he tried to save the person," relayed the hotel employee. According to the autopsy report, John had consumed alcohol, but no illegal drugs were found in his system, and there were no signs of injury.
"I got right over the top of where I believed he was and I poked around in a circle with a stick…I was trying to feel around and find him…I couldn't find him," Chris described during the call. After his efforts failed, he headed to the nearest hotel to alert authorities. Jason John was eventually reported missing that morning, and his remains would not be retrieved from the lake until days later.
In response to the tragedy, friends and family of the victim have advocated for improved security measures along Lady Bird Lake. "Imagine if the EMS trial program existed at this time. It’s had proven success since implemented…It could have saved Jason’s life and many more," Josh Gale, a friend of John, told KXAN. The EMS pilot program, now in place, aims to ensure a more prompt response for such emergencies along the lakefront.
