San Joaquin River looks placid but can be deadly

A sign along the riverbank warns of the dangers of the San Joaquin River in Fresno.

Dashawn Wilson, 25, fishes along the San Joaquin River in Fresno. In the early mornings, elderly Hmong men come to fish. People arrive in the afternoons with their children and dogs. Many eat picnic dinners along the river, and there are late-night parties, judging by the beer cans visitors help pick up the next day.

Last year, this part of the river wasn’t much more than mud. On the day Neng Thao drowned it was full but, at least on the surface, meandering.

Daniel McHenry, right, hangs out with a group of friends on the shore of the San Joaquin River in Fresno.

People arrive in the afternoons with their children and dogs. Last year, this part of the river wasn’t much more than mud.

Jose Ramirez, 20, takes a dip while hanging out with friends from left, Louie Sucilla, 16, Baruc Ordaz, 23, and Miranda Macias, 21, along the shore of the San Joaquin River in Fresno, near where 18-year-old Neng Thao drowned in May.