Oklahoma man drowns while swimming after runaway boat

Posted: Updated:

EUFAULA, Okla. (AP) - The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says a 66-year-old man drowned while swimming after his boat as it was floating away on an eastern Oklahoma lake.

An OHP report says James Cosper of McAlester drowned shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The report says Cosper was loading his boat at a boat ramp when the vessel began to drift away.

A witness said the man ran to a dock and jumped into the lake, then disappeared under water as he swam toward the boat.

The report says Cosper was not wearing a life preserver.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.