First responders in swift water boats and a U.S. Park Police helicopter are scouring the Potomac River for a man who went missing while swimming in the Great Falls Park area yesterday (Sunday).
Montgomery County’s police and fire departments received a call around 6:15 p.m. for a swimmer in distress near the Billy Goat Trail in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park in Potomac, Maryland.
The swimmer — a college-aged man who lives in Montgomery County — was last seen just south of Sandy Landing after getting separated from a group of other young adults, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer.
“They were in the water with a goal of swimming from the Maryland Shoreline to [the] Virginia Shoreline,” Piringer told FFXnow by email. “Apparently, while swimming, he called out to his friends for help, went under the water and never resurfaced.”
Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to Great Falls Park (9200 Old Dominion Drive) on the Virginia side of the river around 6:31 p.m. to assist with the search, according to scanner traffic.
Over 40 first responders and eight boats from the Montgomery and Fairfax departments got involved yesterday, but the search was called off at sunset “due to stormy weather conditions,” NBC Washington reported.
First responders deployed again from Old Anglers Inn in Maryland this morning (Monday) to continue the search on land and water with the U.S. Park Police helicopter providing an overhead view. According to Piringer, the missing man is now presumed to have drowned.
“This morning involves several @mcfrs swift water boats & crew(s) and USPark Police Eagle 1 helicopter, to include several other swift water boat teams this afternoon,” Piringer said on social media. “Search teams utilizing sonar & thermal imaging equipment to aid in the search.”
Swimming in the Potomac River is illegal, with violations leading to potential fines of $200 or more, according to the National Park Service, which notes that the river might seem calm on the surface but has strong undercurrents. Mather Gorge in Great Falls Park is among the most dangerous areas.
“STAY OUT of the river and STAY ALIVE. You may not even stick your feet in the water,” the NPS says on the park website. “That puts you at risk of slipping into the river, landing on a rock or hitting your head, and being dragged out by the current.”
(~615p 6/14) Billy Goat Trail A/Great Falls Potomac River, young adult male swimner separated from a group, reported in water. Rescuers searched last known location (just S of Sandy Landing) & beyond by land, boat & air, but to no avail, search suspended til daylight Mon 6/15 pic.twitter.com/BcMGsOxJH8
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) June 15, 2026
Potomac River search continues … this morning involves several @mcfrs swift water boats & crew(s) and USPark Police Eagle 1 helicopter, to include several other swift water boat teams this afternoon. Search teams utilizing sonar & thermal imaging equipment to aid in the search. https://t.co/d9CUfCYqml pic.twitter.com/jJWohKyHun
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) June 15, 2026
