Man dies after falling into MID canal in central Modesto

A man died Monday afternoon after he apparently fell into a Modesto Irrigation District canal.

At about 1:30 p.m., emergency crews were initially called to the area of Patricia Lane a few blocks southeast of McHenry and Fairmont avenues on a report of a man who had fallen into a canal.

Lt. Tom Ciccarelli of the Modesto Police Department said a witness called to say the man was “acting erratically” and heard a yell as he was falling into the water.

The witness called police as the man drifted west with the current toward Ila Way just north of Lucern Avenue.

When firefighters and police arrived, they found the man and pulled him from the canal, where he was pronounced dead.

The man is believed to be around 30 years old, Ciccarelli said. He did not have information on the man’s identity.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Man dies after falling into MID canal in central Modesto."