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Janesville Police Department
Sunday October 15th, 2023 :: 10:08 p.m. CDT

Advisory

Water Rescue in Downtown Janesville

Water Rescue in Downtown Janesville
 
On 10/15/23 at4:43 PM Janesville Fire (JFD) responded along with Janesville Police (JPD) units for multiple people in the water, possibly a water rescue at the Milwaukee Street Bridge in downtown Janesville.
 
On arrival, units found two people on the river's banks (river left) between the Milwaukee Street bridge and the Janesville Town Square pedestrian bridge. The two individuals on river left had self-rescued and were removed via portable ladders. Multiple witnesses and the two individuals in the river stated that a third person was in the canoe that had an issue and capsized. The third person had surfaced briefly after the canoe capsized and was not seen again.
 
JFD and JPD began to deploy units along the banks of the river to search for the third individual. The JFD deployed an inflatable boat rapidly to the area to search and check the canoe. The JFD also deployed its dive boat with SONAR capabilities to the area. The dive boat arrived at the incident scene with multiple divers on board. After twenty minutes of searching with the SONAR, an object was located. A diver was deployed, and the body was located and out of the water within an hour and forty-five minutes of the initial call. The body was removed from the river by the JFD inflatable to Medic 844 and 842 crews. 
 
Please see EPCR for any medical information. The canoe was removed from the river by the Rock County Sherriff’s Office. The scene was turned over to the Janesville Police Department and Rock County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation. 
 
The identities of the subjects involved are not being released at this time.
 
Incident Number: JV2351372
Location: Milwaukee St Bridge
By: Sgt Jimmy G Holford III #2243
Date:
 
 
 
Pursuant to the directive of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3:6 Trial Publicity, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
 

Address/Location
Janesville Police Department
100 N Jackson St
Janesville, WI 53548

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 608-755-3100

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