18-year-old man drowns in Tar River in Rocky Mount: police
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- One person is dead after a drowning in a river in Rocky Mount on Friday.
According to police, officers responded to calls about a missing person in the Tar River in the 1400 block of River Drive just after 6:15 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found that a person had entered the river to swim and did not come back up.
Police said after a search, the victim, 18-year-old Max Baptista, was found by the dive team and pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities are reminding the public that conditions on the Tar River can change rapidly due to weather, and the current can become unexpectedly strong. The river also contains varying depths, with areas that may appear shallow suddenly dropping off several feet. Anyone entering the river-whether swimming, boating, or wading-should exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant at all times.
