CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Mason Fercovic-Ortegel, a 24-year-old Spotsylvania firefighter, drowned while off-duty at Lake Anna on Thursday night.

Rescuers searching for Fercovic-Ortegel, a member of the fire department since 2024 who had disappeared while boating at Lake Anna on Thursday night, recovered a body in the water shortly before midnight.

“Last night was a tragic night for our department,” Spotsylvania County interim fire chief Jason Irby said during a press briefing Friday. “Mason was a great firefighter, but more importantly, was a better person.”

The Louisa County 911 center received a report, around 7:40 p.m., from an individual who said they had been out boating with the man on the lake, entering near Seay Point Rd. in Spotsylvania County. First responders were dispatched at 7:43 p.m. and arrived nine minutes later.

They were supported by personnel from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Department, Louisa County and the Virginia Department of Wildlife.

Divers recovered his body at 11:58 p.m.