Man and teen drown trying to swim across ‘deceiving and dangerous’ Northern California river
Two people drowned in the American River on the border of El Dorado and Placer counties on Monday after attempting to swim across, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities responded to a report of a possible drowning and missing person at 5:28 p.m. at the confluence of the American River’s north and middle forks not far from the Lake Clementine Trail. El Dorado and Placer deputies, fire officials and California State Parks rangers responded to the incident.
A 33-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. Crews performed life-saving measures on a 15-year-old boy who was later pronounced dead at a hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A third person, another teen boy, survived and was medically evaluated at the scene before being released.
The man who drowned was identified Tuesday by Placer deputies as Mohammad Fahim Hemati, a resident of Sacramento.
The deaths come more than a month after a 52-year-old woman drowned at the confluence of the American River.
Placer County officials warn that rapids around the confluence can be “deceiving and dangerous,” with rapids around the confluence having the potential to lead swimmers into rocks and sweep them downstream.
“People who might think they are in a safe spot can be only a few steps away from being swept downriver into this hazard,” Placer County officials said about the river’s strength.
