U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended a Czech Republican man who attempted to swim across the Niagara River from Ontario to New York, according to a Tuesday press release.
Jindrich Koudelka, 38, was rescued April 30 by boaters in the lower section of the Niagara River, just miles north of the waterfall. The boaters spotted the Czech man hanging on to a log in the river and brought him aboard.
They immediately called police in Lewiston, N.Y., who then reached out to Border Patrol for assistance.
“Securing the border in this area calls for teamwork with citizens and law enforcement agencies,” said Jeff Wilson, deputy patrol agent in charge. “This is an outstanding example of that kind of teamwork.”
Koudelka was taken to Mount Saint Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston, where he was treated and interviewed by an interpreter. He admitted to attempting to cross the border earlier that morning.
The man was released from the hospital and detained at the Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station.
