Dad drowns in turbulent San Jacinto

The body of a missing man was recovered in the San Jacinto River early Monday morning, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences records identify the man as German Reynaga.

A GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses says Reynaga had two children.

ABC-13 reports a woman swimming in the San Jacinto River late Sunday night at 1927 Gulf Pump Road in Crosby was pulled away from the shore by a current. Multiple men jumped in the water to rescue her. The woman and all but one of the men returned to shore safely.

Calls to 911 for help for the last missing male brought assistance from the HCSO Marine and Dive Unit. The body of the missing swimmer was located at 1:17 a.m. Monday, according to Gonzalez’s post, and was identified as Reynaga.

The apparent drowning occurred near an off-road park for ATV vehicles and other outdoor activities such as swimming.

In a 2020 video shared by the HCSO on Facebook, retired Sgt. Richard Delano warned of the river’s danger.

“I’ve been patrolling up and down the San Jacinto River for eight years and there’s always two to three drownings a month,” he said. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that the river is so unpredictable, and it changes with each flood that occurs each summer.”

In the video, Deputy Kenneth Gates, maritime tactical operations section of HCSO, listed several hot spots where drownings occur regularly along the river. Those included Newport Beach, Lake Houston Dam and where the river flows under the U.S. 90 bridge. Even at small public and private beaches, people can misjudge the bottom of the river, which he said changes constantly.

“Those are popular places for folks to get out of the heat. Unfortunately, a lot of them come out and don’t take precautions to take care of themselves,” he said.

He recommended staying hydrated, never trying to swim all the way across the river, swimming with a buddy, and wearing a life jacket. “I have never pulled a dead body out of the water that had a life jacket on it,” Gates said.

Gates also warned in the video the visibility in the water is limited, and the bottom of the river changes with tide and flooding.

Neither the HCSO nor representatives for the ATV park responded to requests for comment.