VIDEO: Search and rescue crews wrapped up their second day of searching on Monday for a man swept away by the Agua Fria River near Table Mesa. The man, identified as Chris Couch, was the driver of a submerged Jeep from which a female passenger was rescued Sunday.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) described the remote, muddy terrain as severely challenging the search efforts. Couch and a passenger drove their vehicle into the Agua Fria River on Sunday. The rainfall had quickly transformed the usually dry area into a dangerous, fast-moving river flowing all the way into Lake Pleasant.
“This water is running rapidly, and it starts up north and goes all the way into Lake Pleasant. This is a river,” said Dave Moyer, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The MCSO helicopter, known as Fox 1, located the passenger on the roof of the submerged Jeep and transported her to safety.
