A University of Georgia graduate died after leaping from a towering cliff into an Alabama lake during a graduation trip with his friends.<\/p>\n
Jayden Barreto, 24, vanished underwater when he jumped from Chimney Rock into Lake Martin \u2014 roughly 40 miles outside of Montgomery \u2014 on Wednesday, according to investigators.<\/p>\n
\u201cJayden jumped off the rock, and witnesses told us he never came back up,\u201d Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told the Montgomery Advertiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dive crews searched Lake Martin for hours before recovering Barreto\u2019s body. Montgomery Fire\/Rescue<\/p>\n Barreto, of Columbus, Ga., had been celebrating his graduation with friends at the popular lake spot, which is described as a \u201cmust-do jump for the adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers<\/a>,\u201d according to the lake\u2019s website.<\/p>\n Emergency crews rushed to the scene after reports that a man had disappeared. Dive teams searched for hours before recovering Barreto\u2019s body around 9:45 p.m., officials said.<\/p>\n Divers found him on an underwater shelf roughly 50 feet below the surface. Authorities said the lake plunges at least another 70 feet beyond the drop-off.<\/p>\n \u201cThe jump from Chimney Rock is like hitting a sheet of glass from 60 feet up,\u201d Franklin told the newspaper. \u201cIt all depends on how your body hits the water.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have nothing that points to this being anything but a tragic accident, where the young man drowned,\u201d the sheriff added. \u201cBut we are conducting an investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Chimney Rock is described as a \u201cmust-do jump for the adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers.\u201d<\/p>\n Barreto\u2019s body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to determine his cause of death. <\/p>\n Montgomery Fire Rescue said six divers took part in the search under \u201cchallenging conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCrews worked alongside multiple partner agencies in a coordinated and extended search effort,\u201d the department said in a Facebook post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Emergency workers found Barreto\u2019s body on an underwater shelf roughly 50 feet below the surface. Montgomery Fire\/Rescue<\/p>\n \u201cOur thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n The University of Georgia<\/a> confirmed Barreto graduated in 2025 with degrees in management information systems and psychology, according to WSB-TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n