Van Buren Township Police are continuing to investigate the drowning of a 30-year-old man last week in an apartment pond.
The man was attempting to swim across a large pond at the Southport Apartments in Belleville last Thursday evening, according to police reports. The late-night swimming attempt was in response to a bet, according to the initial police investigation of the incident. Officers were called to the scene at about 9 p.m. when witnesses reported that Cedric Collins of Ypsilanti slipped under the water in the pond behind building 14 at the apartment complex and did not resurface.
Reportedly, Collins reluctantly took a $1,000 bet that he couldn't swim across the pond after being encouraged by a crowd of about 15 people on the scene, who reportedly goaded and insulted him into making the attempted swim. He jumped into the water, witnesses told police, and was about halfway across the pond when he went under the water and did not resurface.
Members of Van Buren Township Dive Team recovered Collins' body at about 9:30 p.m. Police said initial rescue attempts by the 15-20 people who witnessed the incident were aborted as darkness began setting in.
Police are also reviewing the circumstances that prompted Collins' to enter the water, according to reports. Police have said they are “unsure” if alcohol played a role in the incident.
Police are also reviewing video taken by several witnesses on their phones in their investigation of the death.
