Montgomery County Police believe they have found the 22-year-old man who friends said was swept away in the Potomac River while he was swimming on Monday near Great Falls.
After three days of a joint MCFRS and Fairfax County search operation, officials recovered the man’s body at about 5:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Friends called MCFRS on Monday around 8 p.m. near the Great Falls overlook. Police say the man was sitting in the water near the shore when he decided to wade farther into the river. He was then swept downriver.
Police said more investigation is necessary before they confirm the identification of the man found Thursday.
It would be the third Potomac River swimmer who has drowned near Great Falls this year. Two men drowned in the span of a week in late June. In July, a kayaker drowned while going through the rapids.
MCFRS did a joint press conference with other agencies in May to remind people not to swim in the Great Falls area, even if currents aren’t visible from the river’s surface. Swimming is not allowed in the Potomac River Gorge, the 14-mile stretch of the river from the Key Bridge to Great Falls in Potomac.
