Gwinnett fire officials warn others about river dangers after 4-year-old’s body recovered

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County firefighters are warning parents about the dangers of fast moving rivers after authorities found the body of a 4-year-old over the weekend.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was live at Yellow River Park on Channel 2 Action News at 4 p.m.

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Nasir Mitchell, 4, was with his mother Saturday night near Yellow River. Firefighters said the child went into the water without a life jacket. According to the child’s mother, it happened within seconds.

“She was with her son, she looked she looked away for a second. And when she looked back he was missing,” Capt. Ryan McGiboney with Gwinnett County Fire Department.

They stayed out from 5:30 p.m. until sunset Saturday evening and the search didn’t stop until they lost sunlight.

“We did keep our health police helicopter unit in the air till one o’clock in the morning search and up and down the river with their infrared camera,” said McGiboney.

The fire and rescue teams held on to hope until the tragic ending. The rescue team found his body Sunday morning, just 150 yards from where his mother said he went in the water.

“He was submerged and caught in essentially a bunch of debris underneath the water surface,” said McGiboney.

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Now, firefighters are warning others about the dangers of rivers. They said rivers don’t often look as dangerous and deadly as they can be for adults, let alone children.

It had rained earlier in the day as well, making the river conditions potentially more dangerous.

“What we don’t see is all the debris that is caught up in the current being pushed downstream,” said McGiboney.

As more people head out near water in the spring and summer, firefighters hope to avoid similar tragedies.

“Whenever you’re near a moving body of water like that you have a personal floatation device on even if you’re a good swimmer, it’s just a good idea,” said McGiboney.

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