In Convington at Bogue Falaya Park, a 15-year-old boy drowned in the Bogue Falaya River.

Rescue workers pulled the boy’s body from the river after Covington Police and rescue workers searched the river. He was indentified as Jordan Russell.

Around 3 p.m., the teenager was swimming in the river when he was sucked under, according to two of his friends who were with the teen, then they road their bicycles to the Covington Police Department to tell authorties.

“When they came to the back of the p.d. [the police department], we couldn’t even get out of them what had happened,” Lt. Jack West of the Covington Police Department said. “When we finally got out of them ‘river,’ ‘boy in river’ and we just flew.”    

Officers put the boys in a police car and drove to the park, according to statement released by the police.  The Covington Fire Department responded as well. The St Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department Special Operations Division had a boat on the scene and in the water 5 minutes after the call from police, but the search for his body took 45 minutes.

The river was higher than normal due to Saturday morning’s heavy rains, causing the current to be stronger than normal.  

At 3:42 p.m., Russell was found in 15 feet of water. He was lodged under a tree, according to police.

“The boys stated they were at the park looking for a good location to fish,” the statement from Covington Police reads, “when Jordan decided to jump into the river and try and catch a fish with his hands. He was swept away by the rivers current.”

“It is posted no swimming here,” said Lt. West, adding that dead trees beneath the surface make the river dangerous and the strong current makes for a potentially deadly mix.  “They’re like hands, they reach out and they grab you.

It is the first drowning in the Bogue Falaya in more than a decade, according to Lt. West.