Powell, Ohio — The last of five people who drowned in the Scioto River over the weekend has been identified as 18-year-old Jonathan Gabriel Vargas, a young man who dreamed of becoming a firefighter and serving in the U.S. Navy.

Vargas was identified Thursday as the final victim in the mass drowning that claimed the lives of five adults during a fishing outing on July 19, 2026. His mother, Ana Vargas, spent her birthday identifying her son’s body at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

“He wanted to join the Navy first, then become a firefighter. He wanted to work on ambulances,” Ana Vargas told Univision News.

Vargas was born in Maryland, lived for several years in El Salvador, and reunited with his mother and sister in the United States in 2021. All five victims lived in the Columbus area.

The other four victims were two married Honduran couples: José Mario Pineda Dias, 33, and Marina Suyapa Regalado Miranda, 28; and Miguel Ángel Guerra and Carmen Idalia Lara Ferrera, both 33. The two couples left behind two young children who watched the tragedy unfold from the shore and flagged down motorists for help.

Authorities say one person went deeper into the water and began struggling. Others entered to help, and all five adults ultimately drowned in the fast-moving river. The incident remains under investigation by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

Sources:

• New York Post