'Drunk' man sparks international rescue swimming from Canada to US in river

Updated
Drunk man sparks international rescue swimming from Canada to US in river
Drunk man sparks international rescue swimming from Canada to US in river

A Canadian man has been arrested after swimming over to the US in the Detroit River - and sparking an international rescue in the process.

John Morillo, 47, from Ontario, reportedly drank a few pints before deciding to swim across the river that separates Ontario and Detroit on Monday night.

He made it to the other side, where he got a bemused passer-by to take his picture.

But his neighbour had called the police at 11.30pm when she lost sight of him in the water. A search was launched that involved Canadian and US police, as well as three boats, a helicopter and Canadian and US coast guards.

According to the Toronto Sun, he was found around 12.50am on Tuesday morning on the Canadian side of the river.

According to the Guardian, Mr Morillo told the Windsor Star: "I was drinking, but I wasn't really drunk. The thing is, I've been telling people I'm going to swim across the river for years and they're like 'yah, yah, blah, blah, you can't make it.' So, I don't know, last night I just decided it was the time to go."

He now says his actions were "really stupid" and faces a fine of up to $25,000 (£16,000) for swimming in a shipping channel.

The Daily Telegraph reports that he said: "As soon I saw the helicopters going by and the boats looking for me, I was like 'oh, this is really stupid'. The harbour master was extremely mad at me. I don't know, maybe they pulled him out of bed or something."

Police warned that swimming in the Detroit River is not only illegal, but also very dangerous.

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