Man dies after jumping into Lake Delhi

One man is dead after he may have been looking for a thrill by after jumping into the water that rushes out of Lake Delhi and into the Maquoketa River.

The Delaware county Sheriff's Office says the man jumped from the road to the water.  It is at least a 50 foot drop.

A release from the Sheriff said a witness stated the victim was active in extreme risk sporting activities.

The dam is owned by the Lake Delhi Recreational Association.  James Willey, President of the Board of Directors of the association wrote in an e-mail, “The information we have indicates this was not an accident or a suicide, the individual jumped intentionally believing he would survive.  Obviously this was not the case.”

A friend with the man grabbed Rick Wiersema minutes after it happened and asked him to call 911.

“He had no business being on the road, let alone going up and thinking you're going to jump off that dam.  That's crazy,” said Wiersema, 56, Lisbon.

Wiersema has had a cabin facing the dam's spillway for 13 years.  He said he's never seen someone play or swim in that rushing water.

“It's too dangerous, there's always turbulence going on right here.  It's a dam,” said Wiersema.

Saturday afternoon the water was gushing feverishly from the dam because of the storms on Friday afternoon.  When the man jumped, around 11:40 a.m., the water was slower because the storms hadn't come yet.

Wiersema said even with the slower flow, the water was still raging.

It took rescue crews two and a half hours to find the body.  Wiersema says they briefly shut off the dam.

“It's too bad, it really is,” said Wiersema.

Willey also wrote, “We extend our sympathy to the family of the deceased.”

The Delaware County Sheriff is investigation the incident, and hasn't released the identity of the victim in order to notify family first.