April 25, 2022
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Pennsylvania State Police and emergency crews responded to the Swatara Creek just above Jonestown Road in Lebanon County on Sunday for a report of people struggling in the water. One man died and a woman was listed in critical condition. Two others suffered minor injuries.
A 42-year-old man drowned Sunday night and a woman is fighting for her life following an incident in the Swatara Creek in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Rescue crews and state troopers from the Jonestown barracks responded to the area of the creek just north of Jonestown Road around 7:30. The 72-mile tributary of the Susquehanna River is home to popular trails and supports recreational activities in Schuylkill, Lebanon and Dauphin counties. The area of Sunday's incident is about 100 miles west and north of Philadelphia.
Before arriving at the scene, authorities were told multiple people were struggling in the creek. Troopers were able to safely bring two people out of the water, a 25-year-old man and 23-year-old woman who suffered minor injuries. Rescue boats were used to get to the 42-year-old drowning victim and a 60-year-old woman who was taken to Hershey Medical Center and listed in critical condition.
The man who drowned was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon City, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators did not say what led up to the incident and whether the four people removed from the creek had been swimming there before the struggle began. The area of the Swatara Creek above Jonestown Road is known for a dam, although it's unclear whether the rescue occurred in the vicinity of the dam.
A state police spokesperson said Monday that the drowning victim's identity has not been publicly released at this time.
In a separate incident on Sunday, a 26-year-old man fell into Codorus Creek in York County while standing along the bank with a small group of people. The incident happened in the area of West Philadelphia Street and search crews scoured the area before calling the effort off until Monday. The man's body was recovered Monday morning and he was pronounced dead by the York County Coroner's Office. His identity was not released.
Last summer, a 58-year-old man drowned in the Swatara Creek in Dauphin County after a kayaking incident in which he and several others struck a downed tree, losing their kayaks and inner tubes. The victim, identified as Stephen Matrese, of Marysville, was not found until the following day, while the others survived.
State police said the investigation into Sunday's incident in Lebanon County remains ongoing.
