Man Who Drowned in Canal Christmas Eve Identified

SOLANO COUNTY, CA – Police have identified the man who drowned in an irrigation canal in Vacaville on Christmas Eve as 42-year-old Jason Antonovich from Elmira.

Officers were called to a Solano County Irrigation District Canal behind Persimmon Circle around 7:30 a.m. on report of a person who appeared to be drowning and yelling for help.

By the time rescue crews responded to a gated entrance to the canal in the 2100 block of Alamo Drive, Antonovich had fully submerged into the water - which is 10 feet deep.

They had difficulty locating him and called in assistance from a California Highway Patrol Team as well as a Solano County dive team.

Antonovich was found near Alamo Drive and recovered from the canal just before 2 p.m., according to police.

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--Bay City News/Image via Renee Schiavone, Patch