Man Drowns In Sofi Stadium Lake, Second Victim In Two Years

A man in his early 20s drowned Friday night in the lake outside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, authorities said.

The incident is the second in two years where someone drowned in the body of water. In July of 2022, an unidentified man died after wading into the lake on a Wednesday.

The six-acre artificial lake holds about 11 million gallons of water and features a 12-foot-tall waterfall that cascades into two 4-foot waterfalls. It is about 15-feet deep.

In the latest incident, a man was seen entering the lake around 9:30 p.m. Friday and did not resurface, Inglewood Police Lt. Cilia Islas said.

A dive team responded and the body was found shortly before 11 p.m., Islas said. CPR was administered, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, she said.

Islas said it is believed to be an accidental drowning and the identity of the victim has not been released.

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of an individual last evening,” according to a statement from SoFi Stadium. “Our deepest condolences go out to the individual’s family and friends for their loss. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”

The 2022 incident saw police respond to security reports that the man jumped into the water shortly after 6 AM. Authorities were notified of the trespasser earlier, according to Inglewood Mayor James Butts, who held a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

The man moved toward the lake’s center, but security lost sight of him as he moved toward the middle of the water. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau and L.A. County firefighters were called at 6:21 AM

The man’s body was recovered at 9:48 AM, Butts said.