Long Island man drowns in Walton Lake

A Long Island man lost his life in an accidental drowning while paddle boarding in Monroe’s Walton Lake Saturday, Aug. 16, according to state police.

“At approximately 3:50 p.m., troopers responded to a reported drowning at Walton Lake, in the area of Lakes Road and Sergio Lane,” Troop F Public Information Officer Jennifer Alvarez said in a press release. “The preliminary investigation revealed that Mohammadsadegh Kiani, 36, of Plainview, traveled to Walton Lake to spend the day with friends.”

Alvarez said Kiani was approximately 40 feet from the shore, in water estimated to be 6 to 7 feet deep, sitting alone on a yellow inflatable paddle board when he lost his balance and fell into the water, where he began to struggle and did not resurface.

Witnessing the incident, individuals from the nearby American Legion Post removed Kiani from the water and initiated life-saving measures until emergency services arrived and transported him to Garnet Health Medical Center in critical condition. Despite extensive resuscitative efforts, he later succumbed to his injuries.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Chester Police Department.