A man was in critical condition after he fell into a storm drain in Miami Beach on Tuesday while trying to help someone find their keys, authorities said.
The 50-year-old unnamed man was looking for the keys when he fell into the drain, Miami Beach Fire Rescue said.
"He drowned," said Capt. Adonis Garcia, a fire rescue spokesman.
The man stopped breathing and had no pulse, but paramedics were able to resuscitate him.
"They brought him back and now he's in critical condition," Garcia said.
At first witness James Vizuette thought the manb was just wading through waist-high water.
“And I saw him from the waist up with these two other people, and he was just sitting there, and I didn't take it seriously. I thought he was just cooling off, like he wasn't crying for help or nothing," he said.
Police didn't immediately know how deep the water was in the drain, which was located at 75th Street and Ocean Terrace. The man was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Police initially reported that he had died.
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