A bystander who helped rescue Malcolm Jamal Warner from the waters of Playa Cocles in Costa Rica described it as a chaotic scene following the tragic passing of the “Cosby Show” star.
In the aftermath of Warner’s accidental drowning, a lifeguard from Playa Grande stated there were no lifeguards on duty at the time due to limited resources.
A doctor present at the beach shared that he was about 200 meters away with his partner when he noticed the commotion. He requested not to be named.
“There weren’t many people on the beach that day, and the ocean was quite rough,” the doctor recalled.
Upon hearing shouts for help, he quickly sprinted towards the chaos. He mentioned, “I jumped on a surfboard and paddled into the water toward the area where people were shouting.” Just a few moments later, he spotted a shadow and dove in to pull the person out.
Once back on shore, the doctor saw another rescuer lying on the sand, struggling for breath.
“They were just regular folks trying to help without any rescue equipment,” he noted.
Following the incident, the Playa Grande Lifeguard remarked that the beach is famous for its challenging conditions, particularly popular among local surfers.
In a Facebook post, the Costa Rica Volunteer Lifeguard Association expressed deep condolences for Warner’s passing, noting he succumbed to strong currents.
“It all happened so fast. There were individuals who tried to rescue him, but sadly, it was too late. He was brought out of the water without any vital signs,” they added in their statement.
The lifeguards had been monitoring the area prior but were not present when Warner drowned.
As a result of the recent aquatic accident, plans to increase resources in the region have been discussed, particularly at Chiquita beach, another area notorious for strong currents.
Warner was swimming near Cocles when he was apparently caught by powerful currents on a Sunday afternoon around 2 PM to 2:30 PM. He was 54 years old.
According to Costa Rica’s national police, onlookers pulled Warner from the water and attempted to resuscitate him on the beach.
The actor’s body was taken to the morgue in San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy, with officials reporting that the cause of death was determined to be suffocation due to drowning.
Another individual who was also caught in the same currents as Warner remains in critical condition.
