Drowning Man Saved From Joliet's Canal By City Firefighters

JOLIET, IL — Members of the Joliet Fire Department saved the life of a 33-year-old man who was drowning in downtown Joliet's canal just before sunset on Saturday night.

Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief Fred Offermann issued a press release indicating the following:

At 7:53 p.m., the Joliet Fire Department responded to the Des Plaines River for a person trapped in the river, splashing around near a tree line down by the railroad bridge.

The first units arrived within three minutes and found one victim in the water, just south of the Jefferson Street Bridge. Firefighters donned immersion suites and entered the river to rescue the victim.

Once the man was secured on a rescue board, the victim was picked up by the JFD response boat and brought to shore, where he was treated and taken to the hospital.

Firefighters posted on Facebook that the man was in stable condition at the hospital.

Meanwhile, one of the first arriving Joliet Police officers to the scene, while trying to assist the victim, lost his footing and fell into the water. He was able to secure himself against the river wall until the rescue was complete, and then was assisted out of the water with no apparent injuries.

Fire crews from Stations 1, 5 and 6, along with Joliet Police were on the scene for about one hour.