Man dies trying to save brother struggling in the water at New Melones Reservoir
A 35-year-old Georgia man drowned after jumping in the New Melones Reservoir in an attempt to save his brother, who had been struggling to swim, authorities said.
Deputies with the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office responded around 4 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a possible drowning near the reservoir’s dam.
Witnesses told deputies that a 33-year-old Merced man had jumped into the reservoir and began struggling to swim. His brother went into the water to help him.
“As the brother was swimming to assist, someone in the boat threw a life preserver to the male experiencing difficulty,” the sheriff’s department wrote in a post on its Facebook page. “He was able to use the life preserver to stay afloat and eventually get back on the boat. Unfortunately, the brother who entered the water to assist also began experiencing difficulties and went underwater.”
The people on the boat tried to locate the Georgia man but could not, and notified the sheriff’s department.
“Deputies from the Calaveras County Marine Safety Division, Calaveras County Sheriff Dive Team, Tuolumne County Marine Safety Division, Rangers from the Bureau of Reclamation, Calaveras Search and Rescue, and a k-9 specially trained to search for drowning victims in water from the Wilderness Finders WOOF Search Dog Team responded to assist in looking for the missing subject,” the sheriff’s department said.
Deputies were not yet releasing the man’s name.
As of Wednesday evening, deputies were still searching for the man, Sgt. Greg Stark said by telephone.
This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 5:50 PM.
