Deputies’ boat patrol rescues three people on Yuba River caught in swift currents

Three people were rescued from the Feather River between Yuba City and Marysville after getting caught in a heavy current, according to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies on boat patrol Sunday noticed a group of people along the beach near the Fifth Street Bridge, signaling for help. The deputies’ attention was directed toward a man thrashing in the water, about 100 yards from the riverbank, caught in heavy currents and without a life jacket.

Boat patrol deputies threw the man a life jacket and rescue rope before pulling him onto their boat. Deputies then noticed two women on rafts, roughly a quarter-mile down the river, also caught in the swift water. Deputies said the women were also trying to save the man when they were carried downstream.

All three were ultimately pulled ashore and not injured, deputies said.

Stream conditions on the river in the twin-cities area were not available, according to the National Weather Service and the Department of Water Resources, due to vandalism to the stream gauge. Downstream flows on the Feather River were running at about 9,000 cubic feet per second Saturday.