Kensington Lake drowning is 10th swimming fatality in Oakland County this summer

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - On Saturday first-responders were called to a Kensington Metro Park for a swimmer in distress.

But by the time they arrived - it was too late. Willy Freddy Chavez Perez drowned Saturday while swimming in Kensington Lake in Oakland County.

"Twenty-one years old, in about 6 to 8 feet of water, about 100 feet offshore," said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. "Apparently he tried to cling onto a swimming buoy but was unable to hang on to that, and slipped under the water."

And to make matters worse, the victim's friend struggled to communicate with first responders, Bouchard said.

"The one person didn’t speak English well so communicating with others what was transpiring was a hurdle as well," he said. "So that probably slowed down some of the reaction to the emergency."

Perez's family created a GoFundMe for his funeral expenses; to support the family, click here.

This is the 10th drowning in Oakland County this summer.

"Unlike the movies where people say 'Help, help' and it goes on for a period of time, and people notice - that’s typically not what we see in the real world," the sheriff said. "Someone gets in distress and they slip under the water."

Lots of times other people don’t even know what happened and they turn around - and now it’s too late.

With plenty of time left in the swimming and boating season — some advice from Bouchard.

"If you are going swimming and you have been drinking - it's not a bad idea to put on a personal flotation device if you’re not a strong swimmer, not a bad idea to have one of those as well," he said.