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NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - A Peekskill man drowned Thursday night after going for a swim in Lake Hawthorne, according to local police.
Luis Gauman, 45, was visiting his girlfriend, Nancy Tuccillo, of David Road, when the two decided to escape the heat and go for a swim in the nearby lake and beach. The beach is a private enclave, near Bogtown Road, used and supported by the Lake Hawthorne Homeowners Association.
At about 6 p.m. the North Salem Police received a report of an incident at the lake. Police Officer Gary Weber was dispatched. Tuccillo explained that Guaman had submerged in the water and not come up again.
Officer Weber, together with the Somers State Police, began a search of the lake. I was only five or six minutes away when the call came, said Weber. We stripped off our uniforms and went in. We were very lucky to find him because the water was mucky and there were a lot of leaves. It was a real group effort.
After seven attempts, Gauman was discovered near the float, about 15 feet down. He was pulled to shore, where emergency volunteers from the Croton Falls Fire Department and North Salem Ambulance Corps were waiting to administer CPR.
Gauman was rushed by ambulance to Northern Westchester Hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
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