Man films own drowning with GoPro attached to his helmet

A man has tragically filmed his own drowning with a GoPro camera attached to his helmet.

The man, known as 43-year-old Paul Rodriquez Jr, inadvertently filmed his own death using a GoPro camera mounted on his helmet when he set out on a kayaking trip on Mendenhall Lake, Juneau, Alaska.

According to the Mirror, what began as a peaceful trip into the water quickly became one of complete horror, as Mr. Rodriquez got into difficulty due to strong currents from the glacier.

While authorities have recovered the camera which includes footage of Rodriquez's death, the search for his body remains ongoing.

Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain said: “The recording continued showing that the kayak overturned due to a strong current coming from the glacier."

He added that the helmet and GoPro were handed into troopers after being found washed up on the lakeshore.

Police believe Mr Rodriquez went missing on July 11 somewhere in the vicinity of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreational Area.

In a news release, Alaskan State Troopers stated: "On July 11, 2023, at 2103 hours Alaska State Troopers responded to Mendenhall Lake near Mendenhall Glacier for a report of a found kayak with a dry bag attached to it.

"The complainant reported towing the kayak to shore after finding it unoccupied and no one around it in the lake in distress. AST took possession of the items for safekeeping as there was no identifying markings on the kayak.

"In the evening of July 16, AST was notified by the Juneau Police Department that Paul Rodriguez Jr., age 43 of Juneau, was reported missing and that his vehicle was in the parking lot of the Mendenhall Visitors Center."

The news release continued, reading: "In the morning of July 17, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Juneau Mountain Rescue and SEADOGS were utilized to search Mendenhall Lake and shoreline areas, and a chartered helicopter was used for an aerial search.

"During the search, a good Samaritan turned over a helmet with a Go-Pro camera attached, it was confirmed to have belonged to Paul Rodriguez. A review of the video determined Rodriguez had drowned on July 11 when his kayak overturned, and he went into the glacial water.

"Next of Kin has been notified. Teams will continue to search the lake to recover the body."

Mr Rodriguez's son, Jaden, has since spoken out about his father, claiming he was a kind-hearted man who enjoyed spending his free time in the outdoors fishing, paddle boarding, and snowboarding.

His son added that his father's life changed when he found God and that he would often tell him that life is short.

His son concluded: "He was a good person."

Efforts to find and recover Mr Rodriquez's body are ongoing.