On April 9, 2026, at approximately 4:25 a.m., an officer in a parking lot west of the Joliet Police Department reported hearing a male calling for help from the Des Plaines River. Additional officers responded and located the male in the water on the west side of the river, near the southern end of the riverwalk in Bicentennial Park.
Officers deployed water rescue equipment and threw ropes to the male, who was able to hold on until the Joliet Fire Department arrived. Fire personnel entered the water and determined the male was too weak to climb a ladder. A rescue boat was deployed, and the male was safely removed from the river.
The 25-year-old man was transported by the Joliet Fire Department to Saint Joseph Medical Center for treatment. He told officers he had slipped and fallen into the river and was not attempting to harm himself nor did he appear in crisis. It is not known how long the male had been in the water…