Four swimmers were rescued Friday evening after their canoe overturned in waters off Taylor Point and Potter’s Cove near East Shore Road, according to the Jamestown Police Department.
Police dispatch received the distress call at approximately 8:20 p.m. Aug. 1, reporting the swimmers were in the water and unable to swim to shore, possibly drowning.
Officers from the Jamestown Police Department responded immediately, along with units from the Jamestown Fire Department, Jamestown Fire Marine Unit, Marine Task Force 1, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
A Jamestown police officer entered the water with a life ring and began making his way toward the swimmers, who were clinging to their overturned canoe. A second officer provided a second life ring to two bystanders who had entered the water to assist.
Working together, the officer and bystanders were able to help all four people grab hold of life rings and successfully brought them back to shore. The Jamestown Police Department deployed a drone equipped with a flotation device designed for water rescue operations.
Rescue personnel evaluated all four adult male victims from the canoe on scene, and all refused transport to the hospital. The assisting bystanders and officers were also assessed and declined medical treatment. The canoe was recovered and brought to shore.
