19-year-old gets cramp while swimming at waterfall, then he vanishes, WA cops say
A 19-year-old was swimming at a popular waterfall in Washington when he got a cramp and didn’t resurface, deputies said.
Authorities responded to the incident at about 6:45 p.m. June 12 at Eagle Falls, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
The man was swimming at the waterfall with friends, deputies said.
At one point, he cramped and went under the water, so his friends tried to help him, deputies said.
Rescuers then found him and performed CPR for 20 minutes, but he died at the scene, deputies said.
His body was taken to the medical examiner. The man’s identity has not been publicly released.
Is it safe to swim in Eagle Falls?
Eagle Falls runs into the South Fork Skykomish River along U.S. Route 2. The falls are about a 55-mile drive northeast of Seattle.
Although there are some reports of people swimming in the area, deputies warn against it.
“The water has an extremely strong current underneath that can pull down even the strongest swimmers. The water is fast,” the sheriff’s department said in a 2021 Facebook post.
Authorities, who said they respond to rescue calls every year in the area, encourage people to find other swimming spots and always wear a life jacket.
One of those calls included two men who fell into the waterfall last March, McClatchy News reported from the sheriff’s office.
Their bodies were recovered a day after they vanished in the water, deputies said.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 11:38 AM with the headline "19-year-old gets cramp while swimming at waterfall, then he vanishes, WA cops say."
