UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Martin Warren of the 300 block of Appaloosa Trail.
Chesapeake, Va. - Chesapeake Police were sent to Bob's Fishing Hole Thursday afternoon after a woman watched her 76-year-old husband fall into the Northwest River.
According to Police, the man was sitting in a chair on the dock, fishing, when he leaned over the water and fell in. In addition to Chesapeake Police, Marine Police and Dive Teams were called to the scene. However, when they got there, it was too late - the man had drowned.
Crews were able to bring the man's body back on land, though the recovery effort took a few hours, causing boats that were docking at the fishing spot to wait in the water for hours.
Cecil Sorey and his grandson Justin were two of the boaters who had to wait to come ashore. The two went out to go fishing and say they specifically remember seeing the elderly man and his wife fishing.
"We saw this couple sitting on the dock fishing and you could tell they were an elderly couple and I thought just how nice it is for them to get out and spend the day sitting on the dock fishing," said Sorey.
When the two returned they learned that the elderly couple went from having a relaxing afternoon to dealing with tragedy.
Now it's making fisherman look at the water they enjoy so often differently.
"You don't think about wearing safety protection on a dock but it goes to show that if you are round water you need to have a safety vest on," explained Sorey.
Chesapeake Police have not yet identified the man who drowned. They say they will release his name once the rest of his family is notified.
