A tragic drowning incident occurred on the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Shortly after 6:30 p.m., the Leeds County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to reports of a person who had fallen from a stationary boat into the water. The 20-year-old individual from Nepean, Ontario was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) at the time.
Emergency responders, including the Leeds County OPP Marine Unit, Leeds and Thousand Islands Fire Department, and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), quickly arrived at the scene. Despite their efforts, the individual was found in the water minutes later and was pronounced deceased.
A postmortem examination will be conducted, and the OPP is continuing to investigate in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Coroner. The name of the deceased is not being released out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time.
(By: Tim Baltz)