The man who drowned in an old gravel pit Wednesday east of Dexter has been identified as 34-year-old Andre Johnson of Detroit, a Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office news release said.

Johnson, who was swimming with friends, struggled to make it back to shore at the pit at the end of River Ridge Lane near Zeeb Road.

He "disappeared below the surface," the release said, and friends attempted to rescue him.

Divers recovered his body.

Johnson and his friends had taken a break after canoeing on the nearby Huron River, the release said.

Mike McLean, 60, who lives about a quarter mile from the swimming hole, said a young man knocked on his door about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

"I asked him what he wanted. He said, 'I think my cousin drowned in the pond right there, will you call the police?' 'I said, 'Yes, right away,'" McLean said.

McLean dialed 911 and returned outside to find the man had left the area.

The gravel pit is a popular place for canoers and teenagers to hang out, McLean said.

People ignore the "Private Property/No Trespassing" signs at the end of the cul-de-sac and trespass on the property, McLean said.

Heren said the man who drowned was with a group of about 10 people who exited their canoes near the gravel pit and went swimming there. He said the man drowned in water that was a depth of "probably less than 10 feet."

"It's really worrisome, terrible," McLean said. "They shouldn't be in there swimming and it's private property, but they just keep doing it."

McLean has found beer cans and other litter down there, he said. Some use a rope swing on the property, residents said.

Neighbors said a young man was seriously injured while swimming there about a month ago.

"Any hot day, you see lots of people take a break down there," said 57-year-old Jay Mehta, who has lived in the neighborhood for about nine years. "It's totally illegal. I don't really know how to stop it. The owner of the property's against it. That's why he puts the signs here."

Bob Wheaton of AnnArbor.com contributed to this report.