FLINT, Mich., May 29 (UPI) -- A reported $50 wager has claimed the life of a 45-year-old man who drowned in what Flint, Mich., locals know as Devil's Lake.

Officially called Flint Park Lake, it was the scene of a recovery effort Wednesday night by the Genesee County Sheriff's Department which found the victim after a five-hour search. The victim's name wasn't released and police wouldn't confirm or deny either the bet or witness claims that the man's attempt to swim across the lake had been captured on a video camera, reported WNEM-TV of Flint.

"I came out here and the dude was already in his drawers," said Clyde McKinney, who said he witnessed the wager and attempt to swim the lake. "'I said man, don't get in the water, it's not worth it. ... Next thing you know, he was yelling for help and all you could see was his head go down."

Men taping the event reportedly left the scene before police arrived, WNEM said.