Man dies of apparent drowning after motor trouble on Little Mantrap Lake

A fisherman with boat motor issues apparently drowned in Little Mantrap Lake Monday.

At 9 p.m. Monday, Hubbard County deputies and emergency medical services responded to a report of a man who’d fallen out of a boat, which then spun out of control, according to the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office.

Witnesses said the man, 65-year-old Bruce Moore of Brooklyn Park, was having motor issues before they heard a loud bang and Moore disappeared. People tried to throw him a life jacket but Moore went underwater before he could grab it. One of the witnesses swam out to try to help Moore, but couldn’t reach him. Moore never surfaced, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies, with the aid of a citizen, were able to disable the spinning boat. The Lakes Area Dive Team spent 30 minutes searching the water and found Moore’s body in 16 feet of water by using sonar. Divers then recovered his body.

Authorities said Moore was staying at a relative’s cabin on Little Mantrap Lake and had gone out fishing in the small boat alone.

The Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident.