One man missing, another killed in two other water incidents on Sunday | News

The sheriff’s office did not release the identity of the man who disappeared Sunday morning after reportedly slipping on rocks into rushing water above a waterfall while hiking with friends in the upper part of Cleo’s Bath, east of Pinecrest Reservoir.

A statement from the sheriff’s office said multiple agencies continued to search for the man Monday, but there was no sign of him. He was last seen walking down the waterfall, the statement said.

Sheriff’s officials arrived at Cleo’s Bath around 10:15 a.m. Sunday to search for the man, assisted by volunteers from the sheriff’s search and rescue team, a Cal Fire helicopter, and officials from the U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the statement said.

“Due to strong currents, rescuers were unable to reach the area safely on foot and conditions were too dangerous for SAR divers,” the agency said.

At around 5:45 p.m. on the same day, the authorities received an emergency call reporting that a man had been observed swimming near the buoy line of the designated bathing area of ​​the reservoir and was found unconscious in the water a short time later.

Sheriff’s Sergeant Jake Ostoich said bystanders pulled the man, later identified as Jaco, to the shore of the reservoir and performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived. However, paramedics were unable to revive him and pronounced him dead at the scene.

“We would like to thank members of our community for their quick response and immediate assistance in rescuing the victim,” Ostoich said. “We urge everyone to exercise caution when using our waterways.”

Ostoich advised people to wear a life jacket and to remember that while the water may appear calm, the current underneath can be dangerous. He also wanted to remind people of the dangers of fast-flowing water and rivers.

Between early May and July of last year, five people died after drowning in reservoirs and rivers in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. Jaco was also the second person to drown in Pinecrest in less than a year.

Oakland resident and former Tuolumne County resident Brian Campbell died Oct. 18 after he reportedly jumped from a boat into the water at Pinecrest to swim without a life jacket and struggled to make it back to the boat.