Public safety officials warn of dangers at Creek Falls
Jun. 20—Greensburg Dive Team Capt. George McFarland knows the dangers that loom at Creek Falls.
"When there's a call that comes over the radio about Creek Falls, a chill goes up my spine because of where it is," McFarland said of the secluded spot along Jacobs Creek in South Huntingdon, a popular spot for swimmers and revelers but also a site of repeated tragedy.
McFarland was part of the crew that found the body of a 23-year-old Penn Hills man who is suspected to have drowned over the weekend at Creek Falls in an area public safety officials urge people to avoid.
Located about 2 1/2 miles from main roads through state game lands, the site is accessible on foot through treacherous paths over railroad trestles or by all-terrain vehicles over steep and winding trails.
Deonte Elliot Johns was pronounced dead Sunday by Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Carson said there were no visible signs of foul play and that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Initial reports suggested Johns dove off a rock into the water and never resurfaced.
"He was there with a bunch of friends, and, according to the young man's family, he didn't know how to swim," Carson said Monday.
It was the fourth drowning at Creek Falls in a dozen years, according to public safety officials.
Turkeytown fire Chief Dan Pergola Jr. said the area is so remote that neither cellular nor emergency radio service can be accessed.
"People like to go back there to party and drink because it is so secluded. Pictures make it look nice, but once you make it back there, it is not a pleasant area," Pergola said.
Creek Falls sits on the border between South Huntingdon in Westmoreland County and Lower Tyrone Township in Fayette County.
McFarland described the location as one that features a pool of water, about 50 feet wide and 50 feet long with a depth of about 15 to 19 feet, accessed by slick and dangerous rocks that rise 15 feet above the heavy current of the creek that serves as tributary to the Youghiogheny River.
"There's debris in there — tree limbs, beer bottles and cans. The biggest thing is that there are rocks. They are big and beneath the water, and the rocks can hold down whatever goes behind the falls," McFarland said.
He said divers encountered the shells of three vehicles submerged under the water near the falls.
He also described caves cut into the rock formations that can trap swimmers and said the water is unsafe and polluted.
According to property records, the falls sit on private land owned by the John P. Brennan Family Trust.
Records indicate the trust assumed control of the land from family members who had relocated from Scottdale to Miami in the early 1990s. More than 214 acres of the trust holdings are on the Westmoreland County side of the creek, with another 90 acres in Fayette County, according to the deed.
Ligonier attorney George Welty is listed as a representative for the trust. Welty did not return a call seeking comment Monday.
Denise Wilkins, executive director of the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association, described the Creek Falls site as "dangerous."
Her group sponsors annual cleanup activities along Jacobs Creek, but hasn't been to Creek Falls since 2019 because of its dangerous and remote location. The watershed association, with consent from the property owners, installed security cameras at the site in 2018.
The cameras were stolen, and a dumpster installed near the falls was later set on fire, Wilkins said.
"We encourage people to stay out of that area," Wilkins said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich by email at rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
