Beloved Malcolm-Jamal Warner Wasn’t Alone When He Passed: 2nd Victim Survives

As celebrity friends and stunned fans mourn the tragic passing of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, a new development emerged late on July 21, 2025. According to an update first reported by Us Weekly, “The Cosby Show” alum was not alone when he died in an accidental drowning at a beach in Costa Rica.

A spokesperson for the Red Cross there told Us Weekly that on July 20, emergency personnel “attended to two adult male patients,” one of whom survived the incident.

CPR was performed on a 54-year-old man who matched Warner’s identity, the spokesperson said, but he was declared deceased at the scene. A second victim, an unidentified 35-year-old man, was “transported in critical condition to the local clinic,” Us Weekly was told. The Red Cross spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that Warner and the second person were “involved in the same incident.”

Authorities Say Malcolm-Jamal Warner Was ‘Dragged’ Offshore by Strong Current

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On July 21, Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) issued an incident report, translated from Spanish to English, that stated its agents “carried out the removal of the body of a male who died as a result of asphyxia by submersion,” per Today.com.

The report said that Warner, who was vacationing with family at Playa Cocles in Costa Rica’s Limon province, went for a swim in the ocean between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. local time, per Today.com. According to the report, he was “dragged by a current offshore.”

Today.com reported that other people on the beach were able to pull Warner back to shore, but by the time the Costa Rican Red Cross arrived, he was “without vital signs.” His body was then sent to the Judicial Morgue in San Joaquin de Flores for an autopsy, the outlet reported.

Roger Sanz, President of the Chamber of Tourism and Commerce of the Southern Caribbean, said in a statement, “Despite the rescue efforts made by Caribbean Guard volunteers at Playa Grande, the actor — who was vacationing in the area with his family — tragically lost his life. We want to make it clear that we are organized, that most of us do inform our clients and visitors. But like in every part of the world, accidents can happen — and this time, it happened to us.”

VIDEO: Malcolm-Jamal Warner Arrived in Costa Rica on July 13

At the time of his death, Warner had been in Costa Rica for a week, according to TMZ, which published video of the actor arriving at the airport there on July 13. The outlet reported that he had flown there from Atlanta.

A source confirmed to People that Warner was on a family vacation when he drowned. It is not clear if his wife and daughter were with him at the airport or if additional family members were on the trip.

Although Warner is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on eight seasons of “The Cosby Show” in the 80s, the actor’s most recent roles included five seasons on FOX’s medical drama “The Residents” and, his final role, as Chief Inspector Bill Houston on “Alert: Missing Persons Unit.”