Group swim ends in tragedy as man drowns at Merced River
A man drowned Saturday afternoon in the Merced River after jumping in with a group of people.
Deputies received calls of a person in trouble at McConnell State Recreation Area northeast of Livingston.
The Merced County Sheriff’s dive team was called in and found the victim by the bank downriver.
CPR was attempted but the man was declared dead at the scene. No additional identifying information, including his age, was made available. It also was not known how many people were in the group.
Sheriff’s spokesman Daryl Allen said the river is running swift because of snow melt: “It’s always dangerous this time of the year.”
McConnell SRA is closed to vehicles amid the coronavirus pandemic but open to local residents who want to bike or walk into the park, if social distancing requirements are followed.
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 7:26 PM.
