Georgia Tech student dies after swimming accident in the Chattahoochee

ATLANTA — A second-year Georgia Tech student was confirmed dead Sunday after a swimming accident in the Chattahoochee River.

James Strock was last seen Saturday afternoon swimming in the area of the West Palisades Trail at Paces Mill Park, according to school officials. Teams searched through dusk before turning to recovery efforts Sunday morning, dean of students John M. Stein said in a letter to the Georgia Tech community.

It's the same area where another college student died earlier this year.

A Georgia Tech spokeswoman confirmed Strock's death Sunday evening. It is unknown if his body was recovered from the river.

Strock was pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer engineering and was interested in robotics and quantum computing, according to his LinkedIn page. He was set to graduate in 2022.

According to Tech officials, Strock was from Uganda and moved to the United States at age 16. He was an active member of the campus community, attended a campus ministry and could often be found in the recreational center. Strock completed a co-op program with DataPath, a communications and computer software company, in Lawrenceville over the summer.

"On behalf of Georgia Tech, we offer our deepest condolences to James' family and friends during this difficult time," Stein said in the letter to students, faculty and staff, which was shared on Reddit. "I have been in constant contact with his family and will continue to be there to support them."

Grief counseling is available on campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the week at the campus Counseling Center and in the student services building. Students may also call 404-894-2575 for support after hours.

Cox Media Group