Young man in kayak rescued from Russian River

Water rescue crews pulled a young man out of the Russian River on Wednesday evening after his kayak flipped over and he began screaming for help, fire officials said.

The man, identified Thursday as Jason Till, was not wearing a life jacket. He was uninjured but taken to Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital and treated for hypothermia, said Anthony Nash, an engineer for the Russian River Fire Protection District.

The emergency call was reported at 6:47 p.m. and emergency crews had him out of the water by 7:34 p.m.

Nash said it’s not clear where the man entered the water before his kayak overturned. He said water rescue technicians with Russian River Fire put their boat in the water at Johnson’s Beach and a team with Monte Rio Fire Protection District put their rescue boat in the river at Monte Rio Beach.

The two teams met “somewhere in the middle” and found the man, Nash said.

“It took time to get to the gentleman because of all the debris,” he said.

Although the Russian River’s current and flow have calmed significantly since last week’s flooding, Nash said it’s still not safe to navigate the waterway. He said people never should try to kayak or canoe the Russian River without a flotation or safety device.

The rescue operation was coordinated by Russian River Fire Capt. Ryan Lantz and Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.