MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A prominent South Florida business owner was among three men who died after they were pulled unresponsive from the water in separate incidents this weekend off Miami Beach, Pompano Beach and Boca Raton.
According to Boca Raton Police, 65-year-old Devindar Maraj, the owner of Champion Porsche in Pompano Beach, was reported missing from the Boca Raton Resort and Club, early Sunday morning.
The police department’s dive team responded and located the victim’s body in the waterway.
The apparent drowning comes hours after 55-year-old Anthony Waiters perished while he was attending his girlfriend’s family reunion in Miami Beach, Saturday afternoon.
According to Miami Beach Police, Waiters, a Miami-Dade resident, was pulled from the water near 82nd Street and Collins Avenue. Cellphone video captured paramedics putting the victim in an ambulance.
Waiters was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Beachgoer Justin Giraldez was saddened to hear about the apparent drowning.
“It’s terrible, you know. No one likes to hear anybody drowning or getting hurt out here,” he said. “It’s the beginning of summer. Just want to have fun, you know.”
Hours earlier, authorities said, 67-year-old Paul Elmore became unresponsive while diving on an artificial reef wreck off Pompano Beach.
Fellow divers rescued Elmore and began to render aid. The Broward Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded to the scene and administered CPR.
Elmore, a New York resident, was transported to Broward Health North, where he was pronounced dead.
Officials in all three cases will determine a cause of death later this week.
Regarding Maraj’s death, a spokesperson for Boca Raton Resort and Club released a statement that reads in part, “It is with deep regret and sadness that we confirm the death of a club member at the resort. Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this difficult time, and we extend our sincerest condolences. As always, the well-being of our guests, club members and team members remains our top priority. The hotel is cooperating fully with the police investigation.”
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