ANTIOCH, Calif. — An Antioch police officer used a personal watercraft to reach a woman struggling in a strong San Joaquin River current Tuesday evening, bringing one swimmer to safety while a multi-agency search continued for a second woman.

The Antioch Police Department said officers were sent to the city marina at about 6:12 p.m. Sept. 23 after receiving reports that two women were in distress. The department’s account, published by ContraCosta.news as a police press release, said both women appeared to be having difficulty against a strong current.

An officer entered the water aboard a personal watercraft and reached one of the swimmers. CBS Sacramento reported that the officer was able to pull the woman from the water after she became visibly tired. KTVU reported that the woman was transported to a hospital.

The reviewed reports did not provide an updated condition for the rescued swimmer.

Search expands across the water

Police said officers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District searched the water for the second swimmer. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit also assisted, according to the department’s account.

Searchers worked from the air and water. KTVU reported that Antioch police also used a drone and that witnesses along the shoreline directed responders toward the area where they had last seen the women.

The police department said the search continued into the following day. The latest reports reviewed by ThinBlueNews did not announce that the second swimmer had been located.

Police said their preliminary investigation found no indication of foul play. Authorities had not confirmed the missing woman’s identity in the department account, so ThinBlueNews is not publishing a name or age.

A rescue in hazardous conditions

The accounts underscore how quickly open water can turn dangerous. Even strong swimmers can be overwhelmed by current, cold water, fatigue or distance from shore. The U.S. Coast Guard recommends wearing a properly fitted life jacket and checking conditions before entering the water or heading out on a boat.

The rescue also shows the range of tools civilian law-enforcement officers may be called to use before a specialized water team can reach someone in immediate danger. In this case, an officer’s access to a personal watercraft provided a way to close the distance to a swimmer in distress while other responders expanded the search.

ThinBlueNews is not naming the rescuing officer because the available sources conflict on that point. The republished police release identifies Officer Molina as the rescuer. KTVU, however, quotes Antioch Police Officer Marcos Molina saying another officer made the rescue while Molina operated a drone. We will update this report if the department clarifies the discrepancy.

The rescued woman’s safe removal from the river was one hopeful result in an incident that remained unresolved for another family as the search continued.

ThinBlueNews will update this story if authorities announce a confirmed development in the search.

Sources

Featured image: ThinBlueNews original symbolic editorial artwork. It does not depict the incident or the equipment used in the rescue. No third-party pixels were used.