21-year-old man drowns in Wenatchee River

A 21-year-old man drowned Monday afternoon in the Wenatchee River near the Lower Dryden Public Access area.

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office was dispatched at 4:33 p.m. to the 7000 block of Depot Road in Dryden after reports came in of a man who had waded out into the water and got swept away, according to Sgt. Jason Reinfeld.

At around 4:45 p.m. the man was brought to the shore where life-saving measures were conducted. Reinfeld said CPR was done for about 30 minutes before he was pronounced dead at the scene.

He added that the man wasn't wearing a life jacket when he entered the water.

"We urge people to be cautious anytime they're going into moving water and wear a personal flotation device," he said. "In fast moving water, as little as one to two feet of water can sweep you off your feet and carry you downstream, so you want to be cautious whenever you get in the rivers."

This story will be updated with more information

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 12:17 PM.