Officials warning crowds to be extra cautious at local rivers after recent drownings

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - With hot weather and closed pools sending droves of people to the banks of the Potomac River, officials are warning crowds to be extra cautious, especially after several recent drownings.

“The message is don’t go in the Potomac River. It’s not safe, it’s very deceiving, and we want everybody to have an enjoyable time,” DC Fire & EMS Lt. Michael Puglisi said.

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He’s one of the first responders who went into the Potomac Thursday afternoon to pull out a man’s body after boaters spotted it and called 911. Details regarding who the man is and how he ended up in the river weren’t immediately available, but what is clear is that Puglisi and other rescue workers have been exceptionally busy of late.

“This year we’ve noticed about 10 times the amount of people on the river banks between the Key Bridge and around Chain Bridge,” he said.

In the past three weeks, DC Fire & EMS crews have responded to reports of two people going missing.

The first was a fisherman who officials said went into the water after some of his gear and never came back up. The second was a swimmer who went missing Tuesday night, they said.

“When you’re out there in the river it doesn’t look treacherous, but it is,” Puglisi explained. “It doesn’t have a dirt bottom, there are a lot of rocks that you can get your feet caught into. Also these rocks form hydraulics, and the hydraulics are like a washing machine where your body gets sucked down into it, it’s going to keep turning you over and turning you over and water is stronger than a person. The river will not let you escape until the river wants to let you escape.”