Day on the water turns tragic: 25-year-old Rhode Island man drowns, remembered as kind, funny

A young local man is dead after a relaxing day on the water in Rhode Island turned tragic.

According to police, on Sunday, at just after 1:30 p.m., members of the Charlestown Police Department, the Charlestown Rescue Service and the Charlestown Fire Department were dispatched to School House Pond beach located on Narragansett Indian Tribal property for a possible drowning.

Upon arrival, first responders were directed to an area about 100 yards off shore where two adult males had overturned a fiberglass canoe while fishing. First responders were advised that one male successfully swam back to shore, however the other male, 25-year-old Jordan S. Monroe of Narragansett, Rhode Island, had gone under the water while trying to swim ashore and remained unaccounted for.

Charlestown Police officers, assisted by US Fish and Wildlife Service and RI DEM Environmental Police officers, conducted a hasty water search and located Monroe a considerable distance offshore. First responders immediately started life-saving measures. Ambulance transported Monroe to Westerly Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Preliminary investigation indicates that neither occupant was wearing a life jacket, nor were any life jackets present in the boat during the incident. The beach is a swim at your own risk freshwater facility located on Narragansett Indian Tribal lands.

Those who knew Monroe described him as kind, sweet, and funny. A life cut way too short.

The members of the Charlestown Police Department thanked their mutual aid partners for their quick and valiant response. The Charlestown Police Department, RI DEM, and the state medical examiner’s office are jointly investigating this drowning.