More details are emerging regarding Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s tragic drowning death.
The actor died this weekend after being “caught by a high current” at Costa Rica’s Playa Grande beach in Cahuita, Limón, while on a family vacation.
Lifeguards were “not present” at the time — despite patrolling there “over the last few years” — due to a “lack of resources,” according to the Caribbean Guard, Costa Rica’s volunteer lifeguard association.
In a Facebook statement shared Monday, the organization called Playa Grande a “challenging” beach with signs in both English and Spanish warning of drowning risk.
However, “due to recent aquatic incidents in Playa Negra,” the Caribbean Guard had “redirected resources there and to Chiquita, another iconic beach known for its strong currents.”
The statement claimed that Warner’s drowning “happened very quickly,” noting, “Although there were people on the beach who entered the water to rescue him, they did not arrive in time.”
The Caribbean Guard continued, “He was pulled from underwater without vital signs, and despite CPR maneuvers being performed on the beach, resuscitation was unsuccessful.”
The Costa Rican Red Cross similarly revealed to People on Monday that three ambulances arrived at Playa Grande on Sunday after a 2:10 p.m. report about a “water-related” incident.
“Two people were dragged by a water current at the beach” and were out by the time paramedics showed up, with Warner declared dead at the scene following CPR.
As for the second individual, the unidentified man treated alongside the 54-year-old “Cosby Show” alum is in critical condition.
The Judicial Investigation Agency also confirmed to the outlet that Warner was declared “lifeless at the scene.”
News broke of Warner’s drowning on Monday, hours after a woman named Kimara, appearing to be his cousin, tweeted about her heartbreak.
“My cousin died yesterday after drowning in costa rica,” she wrote via X. “Yall pls be safe out here while traveling and doing water sports. Wear life jackets etc.”
Warner is survived by a wife and daughter, whose identities he has kept private over the years.
In addition to playing Theodore Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” the Emmy nominee is best known for his roles in “Malcolm & Eddie, “Reed Between the Lines” and “The Resident.”
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