A man reported missing this morning after becoming separated from friends during Sunday's "Rafting Gone Wild" event on the American River has been located at his home.
Sacramento County law enforcement officials are still totaling up the numbers of arrests and citations as a result of the social media-spawned event, and parks officials launched but later called off a search today after receiving a missing person report.
John Havicon, ranger supervisor for Sacramento County Regional Parks, said rangers received a call this morning regarding a 28-year-old Roseville man who became separated from friends Sunday on Gilligan's Island near Hagan Community Park in Rancho Cordova and had not been heard from since. Havicon said he reached the man today at his home. The man said he became separated and made his way home on his own.
The event, which officials estimate drew 3,000 to 6,000 people to the stretch of the American River between Sunrise Boulevard and River Bend Park, was organized largely via Facebook and other social media. It was through monitoring social media that parks officials and law enforcement officials became aware of it and were able to beef up staffing in anticipation of the crowds.
Deputy Jason Ramos, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman, said the Sheriff's Department and Rancho Cordova Police Department assigned about 20 officers to the area, including marine enforcement and helicopter units. Fifteen to 20 Search and Rescue Team volunteers also were on duty throughout the day. Havicon said six of the seven rangers on duty Sunday were assigned that stretch of the river. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel also were on scene handling numerous water rescues.
Officials said most of the problems were alcohol-related.
"We had a lot of drunken brawls happening at River Bend ,,, and a lot of intoxicated people," Havicon said.
He said rangers believe the problems Sunday were comparable to those they use to encounter on Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day before a county ordinance passed in 2006 banned alcohol along the river and parkway during those holidays.
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