Penn Valley, CA – The body of a 20-year-old Stockton man who is believed to have drowned after jumping into the Yuba River near Bridgeport on Sunday, June 4, 2023, was located and recovered this afternoon approximately one mile downstream from where he was reportedly last seen. Nevada County Sheriff’s Office received a report from family and friends of the man, that at just before 4:00pm on 6/4/23, the man had allegedly jumped into the river and had gone under and not resurfaced.
Nevada County Search and Rescue responded along with State Parks, Nevada County Consolidated Fire, Penn Valley Fire Department, Nevada County Sheriff’s Dive Team, and CHP Air Operations to conduct a search for the missing man. Despite dangerous river conditions, a swift water rescue team deployed on the water to an area where they thought a body was possibly seen from the air, but unfortunately the man was not located at the site and instead the image seen turned out to a be a submerged boulder. A continuous search effort has been underway since that time, by both ground and air resources.
This afternoon, personnel and equipment involved in the search including Nevada County Search and Rescue (SAR), Sacramento Sheriff’s Office UAS (unmanned aircraft) and SAR, California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA), California Highway Patrol, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District, Penn Valley Fire Department, California State Parks, Army Core of Engineers, and Nevada County Sheriffs Office, ultimately located the body of the missing man and formed a plan to safely recover the body from the river shortly before 5:00 p.m. His identity was confirmed but the release of his name remains pending notification to next of kin.
We continue to urge residents and visitors to please enjoy the beauty of the Yuba from the banks and to resist the urge to enter the river. The water is currently extremely high, cold, fast, and far too dangerous to be in. We wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the loved ones of the decedent.