Tragedy struck at Naperville's Centennial Beach when 27-year-old Manuel Jose Rosales Yajure, commonly known as Manny, was discovered unresponsive after an attempt to swim with friends to a floating dock in the deep end of the pool last Thursday. According to NBC Chicago, the Naperville Police Department reported that lifeguards located Rosales about 25 minutes later and emergency services promptly transported him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An attorney representing Rosales' family, Edward Witas, has raised "very serious questions" regarding the response of the lifeguards. In a statement given to NBC Chicago, Witas criticized the lack of immediate action, stating, "The lifeguard would have sounded an alarm. The lifeguard would have done something to search for Manny in the water." The family is now calling for a review of safety protocols at the beach amidst plans to file a lawsuit unless a settlement can be reached quickly. The Naperville Park District, meanwhile, has issued condolences but maintained they do not agree with the attorney's claims and will continue to cooperate with the police investigation.
Further complicating the narrative are reports from witnesses and the family's legal team indicating that lifeguards failed to immediately act once Rosales was reported missing. As per ABC7 Chicago, a video captured by local resident Mary Lou Wehrli seems to show the lifeguard team conducting a structured search, but the family asserts this came too late, with Rosales being underwater for nearly half an hour before being found.
Rosales, a recent immigrant from Venezuela and a barber with dreams of establishing himself in the United States, leaves behind a wife and an eight-year-old daughter. His family, in a statement to ABC7 Chicago, lamented, "Her world rotated around her father." Amidst grief, they now face the challenge of repatriating Rosales' remains to Venezuela. Wehrli, the witness, hopes that this tragic event will reinforce the importance of community vigilance to ensure safety at public recreation sites. The Naperville Police Department has urged anyone with additional information to step forward as the investigation, alongside the DuPage County Coroner's Office, continues. Preliminary autopsy results are expected to be released this week.
Centennial Beach, which was closed following the incident for two days, reopened to the public on Sunday. These developments occur as the community feels the ripple effects of a loss that has indelibly marked a family, thrusting the spotlight on the safeguards at public amenities and the responsibilities held by those tasked to protect patrons within them.
