GPD Officers Rescue Man from Drowning in Sluice Pipe
Responding to an emergency call, Guilford Police Officers (GPD) officers made a dramatic rescue of a man trapped in a “life threatening situation” near Leetes Island Road this past Wednesday.
Pummeled by rushing water at the entrance a sluice pipe and unable to extricate himself due to the strong tidal current, the man was hauled to safety by officers using a rope and without any significant injury to the man or the officers, according to a post by the GPD.
The man had been crabbing nearby, according to the post, and was carried to the sluice pipe by rushing water, where he was in danger of being pulled under.
A 911 call from the man’s wife resulted in Officers Jared Dillon and Anthony Mastriano arriving at the scene. They were able to locate the man due to a location tracing system, according to the post.
GPD lauded the man’s wife for quickly calling 911, noting that she called using the Siri voice-control app as she was away from her phone and actively preventing her husband from being swept under until help arrived, as well as Mastriano and Dillon for their calm and prompt action.
This area on Leetes Island Road has seen three similar incidents in the past two years, according to the GPD. While in this case the victim had been carried to the area from upstream, the GPD warned residents from any type of water activity near sluice pipes and areas with strong currents.