Woman ‘Swept Away’ in River Successfully Rescued 

June 20, 2024 – Nevada County Sheriff's Office officials report that on June 18, at 3:29 p.m., the Nevada County Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call that a 27-year-old woman had been “swept away” in the South Yuba River in the vicinity of Hoyt Crossing. It was her first time at the South Yuba River and she was visiting with four friends. To make this particular call all the more challenging, it came in 32 minutes after the swimmer was last seen as one of the victim’s friends had to hike out to find someone with a cell phone and cell phone reception itself proved challenging. 

The call was transferred to the Nevada County Consolidated FD to respond as the lead agency, and undeterred, they, the Sheriff’s Office and additional allied agencies headed out with urgency and optimism and began searching. After approximately 90 minutes in the water, California Highway Patrol’s H24 helicopter spotted her on a rock and successfully rescued her.

We are thankful today that this young lady is alive and thankful to our allied agencies for their swift and unified response to find her, including: Nevada County Consolidated FD, Nevada County Consolidated Swift Water Rescue, California State Parks, CHP - Air Operations, Nevada County Sheriff's Search & Rescue, North San Juan Fire Protection District, and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Ambulance.

We hope this incident serves as an ongoing reminder of how dangerous rivers are, especially the South Yuba River this time of year. Please avoid swimming in the river.

Source & photos: Nevada County Sheriff's Office