MCINTYRE TOWNSHIP -- Rescue crews are issuing a warning after a man drowned at a popular water hole in Lycoming County over the weekend.
"The water is flowing harder than it has in years and years up here," said Brenda Faughnan.
Brenda Faughnan has been coming up Rock Run Valley in the Loyalsock State Forest for years to fish, but people also come from all over to see the waterfalls and to swim.
"We'll leave fishing so they can go swimming because I mean we did it when we were kids," said Brenda Faughnan.
Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources tells Newswatch 16 over the weekend a young man drowned at a spot locals call the A-frame.
According to Ralston’s Fire Company, a group of friends from the York area was visiting Rock Run when a young man in his early 20s slipped and fell in. The water is high because of recent rainfall. His friends tried to get him out but could not.
The coroner identified the victim as Dustin Rodgers, 20, of York, Pennsylvania.
"That is so sad because kids come up here all the time."
What people may not realize when they get to the falls is you're probably not going to have cell service, which means if someone does get hurt or something does happen, you have to travel all the way back down to the main road for help.
"It's a tragedy. I mean, I didn't need to know him. It's still struck us in Ralston because we know a lot of people that go up there," said Jessica Bentley.
Bentley grew up in Ralston. She tells us people from the area know the risks when they visit the falls, but she worries about the young children who sometimes go up to the falls in the summer.
"I mean, all we can do now is try to educate our children and try to educate the parents. We all just need to be educated on what happened and try to prevent anything like that from happening again,” said Bentley.
