Emergency responders are continuing their search for a 5-year-old boy who fell into the Genesee River on Sunday afternoon in downtown Rochester. The incident happened around 4:40 p.m. as the child was walking with his mother on the Andrews Street bridge, according to Capt. Greg Bello of the Rochester Police Department.
“This is an incredibly traumatic situation for anybody to go through,” Bello said Sunday night, adding that it appears to be “an incredibly sad accident.”
Boy falls into Genesee River in Rochester NY
According to Bello, the boy was walking ahead of his mother, who was pushing another child in a stroller, when he climbed onto the bridge railing.
“Before she could stop the child, he went over the railing and into the water,” Bello said.
The boy is believed to have fallen 40 to 50 feet into the river. His mother ran along the riverbank in an attempt to reach him but eventually lost sight of him.
“There’s no way the mother could have safely rescued that child,” Bello said. “It’s very dangerous — the way the current runs and everything else through there.”
Ongoing search efforts underway
Multiple agencies are involved in the search, including:
Search teams have been working on the water, along the riverbanks, and from the air.
Despite “extensive search efforts” Monday , emergency responders did not find the boy as of 4 p.m.
Authorities will continue searching the area for the boy Monday.
“We will continue to search throughout the day and I will keep the media/public as informed as I can,” Bello said.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911.
About the Genesee River
The Genesee River flows north through the center of Rochester, eventually emptying into Lake Ontario. The river begins in Pennsylvania and travels 160 miles, dropping 2,250 feet in elevation along its course, including the dramatic falls at Letchworth State Park. In downtown Rochester, the river is about 250 feet wide near the Andrews Street bridge, where the incident occurred.
Current river conditions
The U.S. Geological Survey tracks real-time data including flow, depth, and temperature. The Ford Street bridge gauge is the last one on the Genesee River before it reaches Lake Ontario.
Contributing: Democrat and Chronicle staff members Genae Shields and Tina MacIntyre-Yee
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Mother tried to save son after fall into Genesee River: What we know now
Reporting by Victoria E. Freile and Steve Howe, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
