CORFU, N.Y. -- State police have released the name of the man who drowned Wednesday evening after jumping into the water at Indian Falls in Pembroke, Genesee County.
Troopers say Bradley Augustin, 22, was at Indian Falls celebrating his birthday. He jumped in near the Log Cabin Restaurant around 7:30 p.m. and never came back up.
State police say friends and other swimmers pulled Augustin out, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Augustin was a Florida native living in Buffalo who played professional indoor football with the Buffalo Lightning. He also attended Erie Community College.
ECC Football Coach Scott Pilkey praised Augustin, who played spring ball under Pilkey in 2015. He said knowing Augustin was an honor and says he always had a smile.
"It’s almost metaphoric that he was celebrating his life on his birthday. He was full of focus and energy that he brought to other people, friends and teammates,” said Pilkey.
His current coach, Mook Zimmerman, expressed his shock to us over the phone.
"He was a very hard worker, and he was the kind of athlete that we look for and try to build our franchise around. He worked so hard that we gave him a little nickname, and his nickname was Mad Dog," said Zimmerman.
Back in Florida, brother Joshua Augustin can't believe his older brother is gone.
"It's going to be a long route, knowing that you can't call this person no more, that they're not going to be there no more. Waking up the next day without him, it's going to be tough."
Despite the no swimming and no trespassing signs, Indian Falls is a common destination for cliffjumpers. Pembroke firefighters say they rescue about two to four people at the falls every year, and keeping people away is a challenge.