Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

17-year-old drowns in Etowah River

Friends say the teenage boy tried to swim across the river, but did not make it.
By Raisa Habersham and Lauren Foreman
July 19, 2017

A 17-year-old boy drowned Tuesday while swimming with friends in Etowah River, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Bartow County sheriff’s officials told Channel 2 that the boy, identified by the friends as Sergio Cadenas, swam about 60 feet into the river and went under. He resurfaced but went under again.

Fire and emergency officials searched for the teen in a part of the river that sits between Old River Road and State Route 293, sheriff’s Sgt. Jonathan Rogers said.

Bartow County and state officials recovered the body of a teen who drowned while swimming with friends in the Etowah River. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)
icon to expand image

The Department of Natural Resources assisted with the search.

Sergio’s body was found about 300 yards from where he went under, Channel 2 reported.

About the Authors

Raisa Habersham is the Intown Atlanta hyperlocal reporter for The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Lauren Foreman
More Stories

Keep Reading

A man rides a bicycle in the rain along 10th Street in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Rain, fog complicate trip back to Atlanta for holiday travelers

Wet and chilly weather, as well as fog, are expected to harshly greet Georgia travelers returning home Sunday after the holiday weekend and through the early week.

Jurors mostly acquit Atlanta businessman in yearslong fraud case

Jurors mostly acquitted an Atlanta businessman and his dietary supplement company in a yearslong federal fraud, money laundering and drug misbranding case.

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Although investigators had reason to believe Sandeep “Sonny” Bharadia wasn’t involved in the crime, they pushed forward with a case against him anyway, a lawsuit says.

The Latest

Sonny Bharadia, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a 2001 crime he did not commit, is suing the small town of Thunderbolt and the two law enforcement officers who handled his case. (Courtesy of Georgia Innocence Project)

Credit: Georgia Innocence Project

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Rain, fog complicate trip back to Atlanta for holiday travelers

Gridlock Guy: Too much ‘holiday cheer’ can shatter silent night on the road

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Earth needs more energy. Atlanta’s Super Soaker creator may have a solution.

The legendary inventor of the Super Soaker, Lonnie Johnson, is refining technology in Atlanta that he thinks could help the planet reduce energy waste.

Teen GOP activist steps down from party leadership post

Greene County native and University of North Georgia student Ja’Quon Stembridge, 19, had run on boosting youth involvement in the party.

2025 SEC championship game: Kickoff time, TV channel, participants, ticket info

The 2025 SEC Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6. Below you can find information on game time, TV channel and particpants for the game.