The family of Langston Neal, the 21-year-old Charlotte man who drowned in Lake Wylie on Labor Day, is urging every swimmer to wear a life jacket regardless of experience.

Neal jumped from a boat into the lake on Monday, Sept. 7, and did not resurface, according to the York County Sheriff's Office. Divers recovered his body near the Ebenezer Boat Landing at around 8:40 p.m., roughly an hour after he entered the water, WBTV reported.

His death was the fourth on Lake Wylie this summer.

Neal's family told WCNC he was familiar with the water, making his drowning especially difficult to process. His uncle, Carl Buford, said the news left him stunned.

"To hear that he was gone and he died under those circumstances was just bewildering to me," Buford told WCNC.

Buford's message was direct.

He and Neal's cousin Lakisha Vinson both said swimming ability offers no guarantee of safety. Vinson said a current can pull even the strongest swimmer under. Buford urged every person entering the water to wear a life jacket, no matter their skill level.

Neal's father, Langston Neal Sr., told WSOC-TV his son had just started a new city job and was proud of it. Neal Sr. described his son as hardworking and someone who made everyone around him smile. His sister, Alexandra Neal, said he could lift her mood no matter what.

The York County Coroner's Office classified Neal's death as a water death. Autopsy and toxicology results were pending as of Sept. 8. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the coroner's office are investigating, the York County Sheriff's Office said on X.

Three of the four Lake Wylie deaths this summer involved a person jumping from a boat and failing to resurface. On May 18, a person jumped from a boat near Tega Cay close to the Catawba Dam and did not resurface; the body was recovered May 19. On May 28, a second person died after jumping from a boat near Little Allison Creek. On July 25, Fort Mill resident Eric Tipton, 48, was found unresponsive near the sandbar at Bowater Catawba Recreation Park in Rock Hill.

After the May 28 drowning, the York County Sheriff's Office urged boaters to take safety seriously and wear life jackets on the water.

A 2019 safety release from the Lake Wylie Marine Commission, citing 2017 U.S. Coast Guard data, stated that local law enforcement had never recovered a drowning victim wearing a life jacket on Lake Wylie. The same release noted two-thirds of drowning victims were good swimmers.

Neal's family and friends gathered at Camp Greene Park in Charlotte on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. for a balloon release to celebrate his life.

Residents who witness a water emergency on Lake Wylie can call 911 or contact the York County Sheriff's Office.