A pile of clothing near the dock at Harborside indicated that Antwyn Jackson, a 24-year-old homeless black man, was taking a swim on June 10 when he drowned in the Potomac River. A woman fishing nearby discovered Jackson’s lifeless body floating in the water and contacted police and emergency-medical technicians, who pronounced the man dead at the scene.
"It was an accidental drowning," said Ashley Hildebrandt, a public-information officer for the Alexandria Police Department. "There was no sign of foul play."
According to those who work with the homeless population in Alexandria, the waterfront is a popular place to spend time. And as temperatures peak during the summer months — as they have for the past few weeks — some of the city’s homeless residents decide to beat the heat by taking a dip in the Potomac. Yet many don’t realize the danger caused by strong currents that can be difficult to fight and underwater hydrilla plants that can wrap around lower limbs.
"When it gets hot, taking a dip in the Potomac might seem like a good idea to a lot of homeless people," said Lowry Michael Gilmore, executive director of the Alexandria Community Services Board. "But that river can be very dangerous."
City records show that Jackson was a native Alexandrian. Over the years he listed several addresses in different parts of the city, although he had no fixed address when he died. Because of medical privacy laws, the Community Services Board cannot confirm or deny that that Jackson was a consumer, although the police department could confirm that he was homeless at the time of his death.