Man rescued after being found holding on to piece of wood near Chattahoochee River

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Firefighters in Gwinnett County rescued a man from a near drowning over the weekend.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services were called to a report of a man in the middle of the Chattahoochee River with water up to his neck and was screaming for help.

The 911 callers told officials the man did not have a life jacket on and didn’t know how to swim.

Forsyth County and Johns Creek firefighters joined in the rescue. Johns Creek firefighters were at the McGinnis Ferry and Highway 23 due to reports that the victim lost grip and was now in the water.

Family members told authorities, they lost sight of the man, who was now struggling underwater.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Recall alert: Food sold at Walmart, Aldi, Trader Joe’s part of BrucePac recall
• Georgia SNAP recipients say hackers wiped out their EBT cards
• Trio found guilty of raping woman at gunpoint, forcing her boyfriend to watch at Gwinnett apartment

Crews jumped into the river and found the victim on the Gwinett County side of the river holding onto a piece of wood south of Bowmans Island. Crews were able to get the victim out of the water. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

His age and identity were not released. Gwinnett County officials said by 8:01 p.m. the scene was under control.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

©2024 Cox Media Group