WARWICK, R.I. (WHDH) - Authorities have identified the Massachusetts man who died after being pulled from the waters of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island on Saturday.
Joseph Gillespie, 57, of Auburn, was pronounced dead at Kent Hospital shortly after being pulled from the water around 4:30 p.m., Warwick, R.I. police said.
The Narragansett Bay Marine Task Force, along with local marine units and dive teams, responded to Conimicut Point just before 3:30 p.m. in search of Gillespie.
A team from North Providence, R.I. found the Gillespie after about an hour where he was pulled from the water and brought to shore.
“Lifted out of the water unconscious,” a fire official said.
Crews attempted CPR then rushed Gillespie to Kent Hospital where he later died.
Fire officials say this is just another example of the currents, especially in an area marked by warning signs of the potential danger.
“The incoming tide gets a really fast current running across the sandbar and it’s easy to get swept off,” a fire official said. “I don’t want to say frequently, but it has happened in the past and there’s signage out there telling people not to go out there.”
There is a designated swimming area close to where the incident occurred.
No additional information has been released.
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