Scribd
Upload
88 views1 page

Potential Tragedy Averted in Riverside: News Release

The Riverside Police Department received a call about a person standing in the Des Plaines River. Officers responded and located a 14-year-old boy near the shoreline breaking ice with a hammer for entertainment. The boy told police he had told his parents he was going for a walk. He was not injured and was returned to his parents. The police chief was thankful the situation did not end badly, as the boy could have fallen through the ice into the freezing water due to his actions.

Uploaded by

api-243850372
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
88 views1 page

Potential Tragedy Averted in Riverside: News Release

The Riverside Police Department received a call about a person standing in the Des Plaines River. Officers responded and located a 14-year-old boy near the shoreline breaking ice with a hammer for entertainment. The boy told police he had told his parents he was going for a walk. He was not injured and was returned to his parents. The police chief was thankful the situation did not end badly, as the boy could have fallen through the ice into the freezing water due to his actions.

Uploaded by

api-243850372
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

NEWS RELEASE

RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT


31 Riverside Road
Riverside, Illinois 60546

February 15, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Chief Tom Weitzel

708 447 2127 tweitzel@[Link]

Potential Tragedy Averted in Riverside


Police receive call about man in water, turns out to be juvenile
On Sunday, February 15, 2015 at 9:32 a.m., the Riverside 911 Center received a phone call reporting that a motorist
observed a subject standing in the water, which was the Des Plaines River east of First Avenue. The caller stated that
the subject was in the river in the area of the 3500 block of First Avenue.
The initial call described the subject as wearing a blue jacket and a black hat. Some Riverside officers responded to
First Avenue and others to Fairbank Road in the area of the scout cabin and searched from the east side. The officer
that went to First Avenue began checking the waterline and was able to locate an individual matching the description
given by the initial caller. This individual was located on the east side of Des Plaines River near the shoreline. Officers
were able to make contact with the individual and learned he was a juvenile. Officers told the individual to walk up to the
Bloomingbank area (400 block of Bloomingbank) as the juvenile was actually on the east side of the river. However, the
officer that was patrolling on First Avenue observed him and yelled at him to go to the officers that were already in the
area of the scout cabin.
While interviewing the juvenile, it was learned that he told his parents he was going out for a walk when police actually
found him at the shoreline, not actually in the water. The juvenile told the officers that he was breaking the ice with a
hammer that he took from his home. The juvenile did have a hammer in his possession when he was being interviewed
by police. The juvenile went on to tell the officers that he was on his hands and knees at the river's edge breaking ice
with the hammer because he was bored. The juvenile was transported back to his home in Riverside and turned over to
his parents.
The juvenile, a 14-year-old male resident of Riverside was advised about the dangers of being so close to the river,
especially with these extreme cold temperatures.
The boy was not injured as a result of incident. Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel stated, I am very thankful that
this juvenile was not injured. While you may see the river free flowing in the center, closer to the shoreline there is ice.
Taking into consideration that this young man was purposely smashing the ice with a hammer, he could have easily
fallen into the river face first. With the extreme low temperatures, the situation could have gone bad very quickly.

You might also like