Sudden whirlpool appears and drowns man cleaning pond, Indiana officials say

An Indiana man is dead after he was pulled underwater while cleaning a private pond, officials told news outlets.

Firefighters responded to a call for help on the west side of Mooresville, a suburb of Indianapolis, at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 5, the Mooresville Fire Department told WTHR.

Bradley Justus, 59, was standing in water while clearing debris from a blocked culvert in a pond when he went underwater, officials told the outlet.

Once the debris was cleared, a whirlpool formed and pulled the man down, a witness told firefighters, WISH reported.

A dive team was dispatched to the scene but couldn’t safely reach Justus and, after an hour of rescue attempts, the operation switched from rescue to recovery, the station reported.

Firefighters say Justus was sucked under a culvert pipe, WXIN reported.

Crews recovered his body just before noon Sunday, April 6, officials told the outlet.

Mooresville is about a 20-mile drive southwest from downtown Indianapolis.

This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Sudden whirlpool appears and drowns man cleaning pond, Indiana officials say."