Search for Body in L.A. River Tuesday Night

At 7:36 p.m. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department sent out an alert: L.A. Fire and LAPD units were searching for a body in the L.A. River near Fletcher Drive.

Always eager to stand near moving water, I jumped into my car and headed over.

Serene Scene

I saw pretty much what you see in the accompanying photo.  It was peaceful. There were no units on the scene.

Bystanders near the Fletcher bridge told me they had not seen anything either.

Back at my car, I checked my Android. I saw another alert.  LAPD and LAFD had finished their search. No body was found.

Curious, I headed over to LAFD Station 20 in Echo Park.

A kindly firefigher there checked the dispatch log.

Apparently, a train conductor had called in the incident after a passenger "saw" a body in the riverbed somewhere between Taylor Yards and Union Station.

That is technically L.A County Fire turf, but he said rescuers took the call seriously anyway.

Choppers Search

Two LAPD choppers and another LAFD chopper buzzed the area, and a number of engines were on the scene.

Some came from Station 50, which serves Glassell Park, Atwater Village and the river area.

A firefighter there told me calls like this are common. 

Folks May Overreact to People in Riverbed

"Passersby aren't used to seeing people in the riverbed," he said. "They're exercising-- or maybe they're bathing or living there."

"Folks are afraid to interact and find out what's really going on," he added.

"Instead they call 911 and use up valuable resources."