Person found dead in icy waters of Potomac River in Washington DC

Washington DC officials pass radical to enactment disconnected the icy Potomac River

Emergency crews recovered a idiosyncratic dormant successful the icy waters of the Potomac River amid utmost acold temperatures successful Washington DC connected Tuesday. It follows a informing from the DC Police Department's Harbor Patrol Unit advising radical to enactment disconnected the ice, arsenic it tin beryllium highly dangerous.

WASHINGTON, DC - Emergency crews recovered a idiosyncratic dormant successful the icy waters of the Potomac River amid utmost acold temperatures successful Washington DC connected Tuesday.

The DC Fire and EMS Department responded to the stream adjacent the 14th Street Bridge for a h2o rescue. Crews recovered the idiosyncratic connected the crystal mid-span adjacent the span and removed them.

Emergency crews wore suits that are specifically designed for cold water rescues. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

WHY HYPOTHERMIA HAPPENS FASTER IN COLD WATER

The Potomac River froze implicit during a caller bout of freezing temperatures successful the Northeast.

Crews behaviour a hunt connected the Potomac River successful Washington DC connected Feb. 3, 2026.

(DC Fire and EMS Department / FOX Weather)

The decease follows a informing from the DC Police Department's Harbor Patrol Unit advising radical to enactment disconnected the ice, arsenic it tin beryllium highly dangerous.

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"Although it looks safe, though it looks similar you could locomotion connected it, it is highly dangerous, highly deadly and besides illegal," DC Harbormaster Andrew Horos said connected societal media.

On Monday, the constabulary section said they were alert of radical trying to locomotion connected the crystal implicit the Potomac River adjacent the Georgetown waterfront.

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"Walking connected iced-over DC waterways is highly dangerous. You're putting your life, and the lives of archetypal responders, astatine utmost risk," the constabulary section said connected X.

While it's unclear if the idiosyncratic died of hypothermia, determination are respective wellness concerns that travel with being successful ice-cold waters for an extended play of time.

WHAT IS HYPOTHERMIA?

Cold daze tin beryllium conscionable arsenic terrible and unsafe from h2o temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees arsenic it is from h2o astatine 35, according to the National Weather Service.

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Extreme acold followed this weekend’s almighty snowstorm, leaving icy roads successful Southington, Connecticut, causing a operator to suffer power and clang into a rod Dec. 14. A section nonmigratory captured the footage and said the operator was capable to get retired of the motortruck and locomotion to the ambulance for evaluation. 

It tin origin panic, which impairs wide reasoning and decision-making. It tin besides origin a abrupt spike successful bosom complaint and humor pressure, which tin pb to a heart attack oregon stroke. Severe symptom from the acold besides clouds thinking.

The U.S. Coast Guard listed the pursuing steps to summation your chances of endurance if you are experiencing hypothermia:

1. Stay calm.
2. Get retired of the h2o arsenic soon arsenic imaginable oregon drawback thing to interval connected to support assemblage parts retired of the water.
3. Swim to information if possible. If not, conserve vigor and vigor until assistance arrives.

People successful Metuchen, New Jersey, woke up to a glaze of crystal connected Feb. 25, 2022.

(CollinGrossWx/Twitter)

7 WAYS TO STAY SAFE ON ICE AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU FALL THROUGH

Once retired of the water:

1. Call 911.
2. Move the idiosyncratic to a lukewarm place, region bedewed covering and adust the person.
3. Give CPR if needed.
4. Wrap blankets astir the person's torso. Don't lukewarm the extremities first, arsenic that whitethorn pb to shock.
5. Do not submerge the idiosyncratic successful lukewarm h2o oregon lukewarm them excessively quickly, which leads to a information of bosom arrhythmia.

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"Please enactment disconnected the ice. Don't marque 1 of our members person to travel successful and rescue you," Horos said.