A 37-year-old man who was pulled from the water at the East 72nd pier Sunday afternoon has died, according to a Cleveland Metroparks spokesperson.
Rangers were called to the scene at 1:42 p.m. for reports of a man in the water under distress.
A Metroparks spokesperson told newsnet5.com that the victim was last seen on the fishing platform at E. 72nd Marina.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded and pulled him out of the water around 2:10 p.m.
"Some people saw him go under water and by the time we got there he was already under," said Brandon Zuvala of the US Coast Guard.
The man—identified as Mark Stoke of Cleveland—was taken to University Hospitals and later pronounced dead at 3:03 p.m.
The cause of death appears to be drowning but it is still under investigation, officials said. Investigators said there appear to be no signs of foul play.
Stoke is the first victim to die in the Lake Erie waters off Cleveland this year.
In 2013, one man died and two people were hospitalized after being rescued from the same spot.
In March, a 35-year-old man went missing while boating in the waters off of Turtle Island. The body of a 55-year-old man was found at Edgewater Park on April 15. His family reported him missing in January.
In 2015, 13 people died in Lake Erie. Six of the victims jumped or fell of a pier.
