Drowned Dartmouth Student Had Excessive Blood Alcohol Levels: Report

HANOVER, NH — The 20-year-old Dartmouth College student who drowned in the Connecticut River in July had a blood alcohol level that suggests he was significantly impaired at the time of his death, according to reports that cite police.

Hanover police said Wednesday that Won Jang, whose body was found underwater the day after he had last been seen at a gathering, had a blood alcohol level of .167, WMUR reported.

At this level, which is more than twice the legal limit for driving, people are likely to experience confusion, vomiting, and drowsiness, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Jang's death has been ruled an accident but authorities are still investigating what happened just prior, per WMUR.

Jang, who is from Middletown, Delaware, was last seen by friends at around 9:30 p.m. at a casual gathering near the Dartmouth boathouse on the river.

Concern arose when he failed to appear for a planned engagement the next day. Police and fire departments from Hanover, Lebanon, and Hartford, Vermont, initiated a search in the vicinity, including underwater searches near the docks.

Items recovered near the dock suggested that Jang had remained in the river area, after which NH Conservation Officers, New Hampshire Marine Patrol, and the NH Fish and Game ROV/Sonar Team commenced a comprehensive search by boat and underwater camera. The Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team also employed drone technology to aid in the search effort.

Jang's body was located in the Connecticut River by the underwater camera Sunday evening in the area where he was last seen.