The search continued Monday afternoon for a young man presumed to have drowned in the Potomac River south of Great Falls.
Pete Piringer, of Maryland’s Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department, said Monday morning that the man “had jumped from the cliffs on the Virginia side” in the Old Angler’s Inn area at about 5:30 p.m.
“He went under and never came up,” Piringer said. The people he was with looked for him, and the fire and rescue department searched until sunset.
Piringer said parking areas are closed, and reminded people that while kayaking and boating are OK in the area, swimming is prohibited. Not only is the water cold, but the currents are strong.
“It looks very serene, very peaceful,” Piringer said. “It’s not.”
A number of people have drowned in the area over the past decade, but fewer in the last few years as people spread the word, he said.
The U.S. Park Police are investigating. Crews initially were doing a search and rescue, but it has since been called a “presumed drowning,” Piringer said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to indicate the Billy Goat Trail’s location.
