Man who died in Potomac River water rescue identified

The Oxon Hill man who died after he jumped off a boat anchored in the Potomac River in Fort Washington, Maryland, on Monday evening has been identified.

Jimmy Orlando Espinoza-Oviedo, 37, started having difficulty swimming after he jumped in and yelled for help, Maryland Natural Resources Police said Thursday.



Another person on the boat threw Espinoza-Oviedo a life jacket, but he couldn’t put it on. He later fell unconscious, authorities said.

Someone on a nearby boat pulled Espinoza-Oviedo out of the water and tried to give him CPR until emergency crews arrived at the scene.

Espinoza-Oviedo later died.

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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