Three men jumped (or fell) into Rattlesnake Falls while hiking near Lake Tahoe in northern California, and they didn’t resurface. We don’t yet know why the men ended up in the water or how exactly they died, but their families now have closure thanks to a volunteer diver who braved the treacherous conditions of the waterfall and recovered the mens’ bodies. The diver, Juan Heredia, is being called a hero for his efforts.
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The Placer County Sheriff’s Office initially posted last Wednesday, saying responders were called to the Rattlesnake Falls area in Soda Springs after three hikers entered the water and didn’t come back up. Three other hikers reported them missing.
“The terrain is extremely remote and difficult to access, making rescue efforts especially challenging,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
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On Wednesday evening, the remaining hikers reported that the three men “jumped into the water” and failed to resurface. Rescue crews evacuated the group by helicopter. Search efforts paused on Thursday thanks to poor conditions.
Heredia decided to give it a go, and he was able to locate the mens’ bodies in the turbulent, frigid water and recover them.
“I found them!! The family no longer has to wait in agony!!” Heredia wrote in a Facebook post sharing footage of him in the water. “That waterfall was brutal [it] was pushing me hard . . . but I wouldn’t leave without those 3 souls.”
Heredia explains how he and his rescue partner Josh Robinson hiked over three hours just to get to area. “I did four dives — almost 3 minutes each — with ice water, and very deep,” Heredia added. “But we couldn’t wait. I knew it could take weeks to surface. Families needed to close this chapter already.”
See the Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s updates during the search effort here:
Here is rescue diver Juan Heredia’s post sharing his relief after finding the three men’s bodies beneath the waterfall and providing closure to the families:
What Happened?
There is no official information about what happened in this tragedy, but officials have identified the three victims as Valentino Creus, 50, of Los Angeles, Matthew Schoenecker, 50, of Los Angeles, and Matthew Anthony, 44, of New York City.
One person commenting on the Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s post claims she has some insight into the situation:
“I am here to give some update for the ones [wondering] what happened [. . .] my brother lives in the SF Bay Area and know them. One was drowning and another one jumped to save him (this second ones was on the diving and swimming team at Uni and knew the place). He didn’t resurfaced either. Another one tried to help them [both] and didn’t resurface. There were three more around that arrived there because of the screams (they are the ones that call for rescue and yes, family has been notified).”
This situation is developing. Perhaps more information will be released about the circumstances in the coming days.
Header stock image by Dmitri Toms/Getty Images
