A 28-year-old man drowned while canoeing in Hopkinton State Park Sunday, according to police. Firefighters said Sydney Perreira was canoeing with a relative in the Hopkinton Reservoir in the Ashland section of the park when the canoe flipped over.

Family friend Wellington Inacia said Perreira had been canoeing in the area before. “He knew how to swim. He did not have a life jacket on, but he knew how to swim. We don’t know what happened,” Inacia said.

Fire officials said the man with Perreira was wearing a life vest. Family witnesses saw the canoe tip over and swam out to help. The other man swam to shore.

“This is a common area on weekends for families to come and have cookouts…An accident happened and unfortunately there’s been a terrible outcome,” said Ashland Fire Dept. Lt. David LaRuissi.

Dive teams recovered Perreira’s body about three hours after the accident. Perreira is originally from Brazil, but lives in Milford, his family said. He has a two-year-old son, according to the family.