2 die in Mokelumne River boating accident in San Joaquin County
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY — Two people died in a boating incident in the Mokelumne River in San Joaquin County, authorities said Saturday night.
The San Joaquin Sheriff's Office said it was notified of the incident at around 5 p.m. The scene was in the Mokelumne River just north of the Tower Park Marina in the Terminous community.
Edward Platt was at the marina with his dog when he saw two police boats zoom by followed by a helicopter.
"We thought it was a crime right away like they were looking for someone or it was a boating accident," Platt said.
Three people were in the water — a minor and two adults, the sheriff's office said. The minor was able to make it out safely. One of the adults was pulled from the water with severe injuries and was later pronounced dead. The other adult was later found dead in the water.
The deceased were identified as 41-year-old Elk Grove resident Quang Lu and 21-year-old Oakland resident Navin Lu.
The incident was described as a solo boating accident, but authorities are still looking into exactly what happened.
Priscilla Llanes happened to be fishing there at the time and saw the rescue boat returning to the dock.
"One of the paramedics was working on the guy," she recalled. "I mean, I turned off my phone. I was watching the guy. They brought him onto the dock and they were working on him."
She said she is praying for the family of the victims and the child who survived.
"Seeing that is, it stayed with me last night," Llanes said. "I had it with me this morning. It's so sad. I feel really bad for the family."