Teenager rescued from Rock River

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DIXON – A teen who police say jumped from the Galena Avenue bridge was rescued from the chilly Rock River on Monday afternoon.

The Dixon teenager jumped into the river just after school ended, around 2:20 p.m., in an apparent suicide attempt, Police Chief Dan Langloss said.

The drop from the top of the guardrail to the water is about 19 feet.

“I’ll be honest with you, it was very dangerous,” Langloss said. “That river was running pretty quick. The concern would be hypothermia, in water that temperature.”

According to WQAD meteorologist Anthony Peoples, the air temperature has been running 3 to 4 degrees colder than normal throughout the month of April, contributing to colder river water temperatures. The most recent available water temperature reading for the Rock River, taken downriver near Prophetstown roughly a week ago, was 46 degrees.

Police threw rescue lines to the teen from the Peoria Avenue bridge, and firefighters launched an inflatable raft, Langloss said.

Dixon Rural and city firefighters also launched motorized boats from the Page Park boat ramp, farther downriver. Dixon firefighters and a police officer picked up the teen in a motorized boat about 10 minutes after the leap, Langloss said.

The teen, conscious and talking to the boat’s crew, wasn’t hysterical or in shock, didn’t have any observable injuries, and was taken to KSB Hospital, Dixon Fire Chief Tim Shipman said.