Second Tragedy Strikes as Alaskan Waters Wash Away 17-Year-Old Swimming in Juneau

Known for its picturesque trails and diving spots Juneau is a popular tourist destination in Alaska. And over the years, hundreds of tourists have gathered at one of Juneau’s man-made holes known as Glory Holes, which is located among the deep trails. Deborah Mattson, a landscape architect for the Tradewell gold mine design, created this shaft in the early 1900s. However, the hole was flooded in 1917, making mining operations more difficult. Following this, the plan was formally closed and turned into a tourist attraction.

However apart from adding to Juneau’s splendor, the icy glaciers and man-made holes have also brought a sense of danger with them. On July 19, a local man who went to witness the beauty of Juneau Lakes drowned in Mendenhall Lake. Paul Rodriguez, who had a camera attached to his helmet, recorded his own death in the icy water of the lake. The following week, another tragedy struck the Alaska community, as a teen boy drowned in the Glory Hole of Juneau. The 17-year-old teenager who with his friends went to hike on the Juneau trails, decided to dive into the hole and sadly never returned to the shore.

Another swimming tragedy struck Juneau

On July 29th, a group of three friends decided to hike up to the Glory Hole of Treadwell Trail, a famous hiking spot on Douglas Island. While enjoying the serene scenes and hiking the steep trails, one of the boys decided to dive and swim in the man-made pond in southeast Alaska. However, after diving into the Glory Hole, the 17-year-old did not come back to the shore. And after failed attempts to locate the teenager, one of his friends decided to call the police.

According to the Juneau police release, “On July 29th, 2023, three 17-year-old boys went down the Treadwell Trail in Douglas to the area of the Glory Hole to hike, dive, and swim. At about 4:45 p.m., one of the boys called 9-1-1 to report that his friend had jumped into the water.” The 17-year-old’s friends revealed that after diving into the hole, the teen, whose personal information has not been released yet, surfaced on the water for a brief time but could not be found since then.

After this call, an emergency investigation was started by the authorities. The Juneau Police, Capital City Fire and Rescue, and Juneau Mountain Rescue—all three departments—started to look for the teen who jumped from the 20–30-foot cliff. However, despite the best efforts of the authorities, the teenager could not be found. Due to the man-made pond being surrounded by steep and mountainous terrain, the authorities decided to take help from Alaska state troopers to locate the boy.

Taking help from the Alaska state troopers

At 5:40 p.m., the Jeanneau police requested help from the Alaska Department of State Troopers. The troopers sent their dive team to the investigation location to search for the boy. Finally, on July 30th, around 12 a.m., the 17-year-old’s body was recovered from the hole using an underwater rover. The 17-year-old, with the help of the Juneau mountain rescue team, was taken out of the water and declared dead on the scene. According to the AST report, “On July 30, 2023, at 11:57 am, the male was located underwater with the ROV and was recovered by the AST Dive Team.”

Also read: Swimming Lessons Go Horribly Wrong as 26 Year Old Drowns to His Death

The troopers also notified the teen’s family about the body’s recovery. As per reports, there is no suspicion about the teen’s death, as the hole the boy dived into is very steep and difficult to swim in. The unfortunate incident is declared an accident. Nonetheless, the teenager has been sent for an autopsy to give the final verdict about his death. This unfortunate incident truly speaks about the dangers, Alaskan waters bring with them. Hopefully, the authorities will take safety precautions to avoid such accidents in the future.

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