A Nashwauk man died after trying to swim to a raft on Bray Lake in Itasca County on Wednesday.
James George Gleason, 67, was pronounced dead at Fairview University Medical Center-Mesabi in Hibbing.
Gleason was swimming out to a neighbor's raft on Bray Lake, north of Nashwauk, about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday to visit some friends, according to a news release from the Itasca County Sheriff's Office. About 20 yards from the raft he became motionless and was floating in the water. Witnesses yelled for help and pulled him into a boat. He was taken to shore, where CPR was started.
Itasca County deputies, Balsam Fire Rescue, and Nashwauk Ambulance were dispatched in response to a 911 call. Nashwauk Ambulance transported Gleason to Hibbing.
