Moon Man Rescued; Hummer Ends up in Ohio River

 and fire officials Thursday night rescued a Moon Township man whose Hummer ended up in the Ohio River.

Sewickley Police Chief James Ersher said authorities believe the 40-year-old man, whom he did not identify,  went into diabetic shock before his black H2 Hummer left the boat ramp on Chestnut Street and went in reverse into the river.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m., the man called 911 from his cellphone, breathing heavily, and told dispatchers he couldn’t breathe, according to a police report. The call was traced to 118 Ohio River Blvd., where Sewickley Patrolman Bill Hanlon and Sgt. Dave Mazza and Assistant Fire Chief Jed Van Hoffen responded.

Officers found the man lying in the middle of the Chestnut Street boat ramp, and police said he appeared to be distressed, according to a police report.

The man’s sport utility vehicle was immersed in the river about 30 feet from shore,  with only about 3 feet of the back still visible, police said. 

Ersher said the man wasn’t “with it” enough to tell officials if someone was inside the Hummer.

Van Hoffen put on a life jacket, and police tied a rope to him. He waded into the water and swam to the vehicle while Hanlon stood at knee level in the water holding the rope. Police said Van Hoffen didn’t find anyone inside the vehicle.

The man was taken by ambulance to Heritage Valley .

 firefighters, meanwhile, had to use the winch system on their truck to pull the Hummer out of the water. The vehicle was towed away.

Witnesses told police the man looked sick and pale when they saw him sitting in his vehicle at the bottom of the boat ramp smoking a cigarette.

The man told police at the hospital that he called 911 because he was going into diabetic shock. Police said he could remember only walking out of the river, but nothing else. Hospital staff confirmed his blood sugar levels were low, police said.