ATLANTA — A University of Georgia student has died after jumping into an Alabama lake from a cliff.
Investigators said Jayden Barreto, 24, of Columbus, died after jumping from Chimney Rock into Lake Martin, near Montgomery, AL.com reports.
Montgomery Fire Rescue said they were called out to the lake on Wednesday when Barreto didn’t resurface. Dive teams eventually found Barreto’s body around 9:45 p.m. that evening.
Barreto was at the lake celebrating his graduation from UGA with a group of friends.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Empty Waymos invade Atlanta neighborhood, circle cul-de-sac for hours with no passengers
- Atlanta Beltline deadly stabbing: Suspect, victim identified
- Georgia agent sold fake insurance coverage, pocketed premium payments: Officials
The jump from Chimney Rock, “is like hitting a sheet of glass from 60 feet up,” Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin told the newspaper. “It all depends on how your body hits the water,” Franklin said.
“Crews worked alongside multiple partner agencies in a coordinated and extended search effort under challenging conditions. Montgomery Fire Rescue deployed six divers to conduct systematic search operations,” Montgomery Fire Rescue said in a post on Facebook. “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
UGA confirmed that Barreto graduated in 2025 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in management information systems and a Bachelor of Science in psychology.
©2026 Cox Media Group
