Back-to-Back Drownings on Salt River Leave 2 Dead During Holiday Weekend

Witnesses reported seeing an adult male struggling while attempting to swim across the river.

Published: 5/27/2026, 11:51:11 PM EDT

Back-to-Back Drownings on Salt River Leave 2 Dead During Holiday Weekend — A Maricopa County Sheriff car near a police station in Phoenix in March 2022. (Google Maps/Screenshot via NTD)

Two men have died in separate drowning incidents along the Salt River over Memorial Day weekend, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MSCO).

Deputies first responded May 23 at about 3:15 p.m. to reports of a missing person on the Salt River, according to a statement from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office sent to NTD News. The following day, May 24 at around 12:15 p.m., authorities recovered the body of 22-year-old Sahr Sewah. His next of kin was notified.

Just two days later at about 10:38 a.m., lake patrol deputies were called to another emergency roughly half a mile downstream from Stewart Mountain Dam. Witnesses reported seeing an adult male struggling while attempting to swim across the river. He began to have difficulty near the midpoint of the river, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies searched the area and recovered the man, later identified as 23-year-old Jason Blake Jr., who died a short time after.

Both deaths have left families grieving and seeking support in the aftermath.

A GoFundMe campaign organized for Sewah’s family states he “tragically passed away after drowning in the Salt River in Arizona while tubing with friends,” with the campaign noting that Sewah had recently graduated from Arizona State University on May 12 and was “full of hope, dreams, and excitement for his future.” Funds are being raised to transport his remains to Minnesota and cover funeral expenses. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $22,800 had been raised toward a $30,000 goal.

A separate GoFundMe created for Blake describes the financial strain facing his family following his death. The fundraiser states his parents are in different states and need assistance traveling to Arizona, as well as help covering funeral costs. As of Wednesday afternoon, $835 had been raised toward a $5,000 goal.

The incidents come amid increased activity on Arizona’s rivers and lakes during the holiday weekend, a time when such places often draw large crowds.

In a separate case earlier this spring, a 26-year-old California man drowned in the Colorado River after entering the water from a pontoon boat to retrieve his hat that fell in, the Bullhead City Police Department said in a Facebook post at the time. The man, identified as Kristopher Nathaniel Logan of San Marcos, did not resurface and was later recovered by a dive team. Authorities said he was not wearing a life jacket and that the incident did not appear suspicious. Local news reports noted the incident occurred on the man’s birthday.

Authorities have not released additional details about the Salt River cases.