The man, identified as Jasper Zornes of Springdale, was unconscious when he was taken out of the water, then was rushed to the hospital, said Springdale Police Capt. Mike Peters. The call to emergency personnel came in at 8:43 a.m., Peters said.
Bystanders were pulling the man out of the water when the Springdale Fire Department arrived at the site, said Battalion Chief Blake Holte.
The man was "critically ill" and was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Springdale, Holte said. The hospital is directly across South Thompson Street from the park.
The man apparently was in a chair, fishing, when he toppled over face first into the water, said Chad Wolf, operations manger for the Springdale Parks and Recreation Department. Wolf said the man is overweight and fell over possibly as the result of a medical condition. He was coughing up water when people were pulling him out, Wolf said.
In a news release, Peters also said Zornes might have fallen into the water as the result of a medical issue
"It is believed that he may have had a heart attach or other medical incident prior to falling into the pond," the police captain said.