MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — A fisherman who fell from the rocks into the water at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Tuesday morning has died, Middletown police confirm.
Police said they were called to the wildlife refuge around 8:30 a.m. and found the fisherman in the water. They said the fire department pulled the man – identified as Joaquim Almeida, 74, of Central Falls – from the water and rushed him to Newport Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Shortly after the incident, Eyewitness News witnessed an employee with the Fish and Wildlife service hanging a sign at the entrance of the trails that said, “Due to impending severe weather, especially high storm surges and waves, do not access the shoreline.”
The sign also urged people to stay away from low-lying areas where “storm surge may cut off your escape route and/or wash you offshore”
WATCH: Here’s why the surf is dangerous right now
The National Weather Service said surf along the Rhode Island coast was expected to be higher than normal due to Hurricane Lorenzo offshore.
