The North Carolina man who drowned in the pool at a Park City hotel was identified Wednesday by the United States Naval Academy where he was a Midshipman.
John Johnson, 22, was swimming with three friends in the Westgate Park City Resort and Spa’s outdoor pool on Monday when he drowned. Johnson’s friends told police Johnson said he was “going to practice underwater breathing training” in the pool and attempt “to hold his breath longer than he had before.” Police said Johnson and his friends “had been consuming alcohol throughout the day.”
His friends became concerned when he did not surface “after about five minutes,” and they jumped in the pool and pulled him out. He was unconscious and not breathing. The friends performed CPR until medical personnel arrived at the hotel. He was taken to the Park City Hospital, where he died.
Johnson was a member of the 29th Company and served as a company platoon commander this year, according to a news release from the Naval Academy. He was an honors mathematics major with a 3.97 GPA who participated in math and chess clubs. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Association Leadership Award for Academic Year 2019.
“If I were to describe John in one word, it would be ‘passion,’” said 29th Company Officer Lt. Eric Nordquist in the news release. “He epitomized and excelled in every area, and earned the respect of everyone who crossed his path. He will be sorely missed by the 29th Company in so many ways.”
