Wash. Man Drowns Rescuing Pet Pig From River

MONITOR, WA — A 45-year-old man from Monitor died Sunday night when he jumped into the Wenatchee River to rescue his pet pig, according to the Chelan County Sheriff.

The man, his adult son, and the pet pig were floating the river on tubes around 6 p.m. Sunday. The pig fell into the river near Monitor, and the man jumped into rescue it. The man's son yelled for help, and several people along the shoreline responded to help, but man had already slipped underwater.

Police recovered the man's body downriver near the Sleepy Hollow Road bridge. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him for about 20 minutes before he was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office reported.

The pig was pulled from the water by bystanders and survived.

Monitor is located northwest of Wenatchee along U.S. 2.