Police say they arrested two middle-aged men who took their clothes off and jumped into the Savannah River on Friday evening, despite officers advising them not to do so. Those were the only two arrests made on the first night of Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival, said Julian Miller, Savannah-Chatham police spokesman.
Officers assigned to the River Street Command Center charged the two men from Pennsylvania in their early 40s with swimming in prohibited waters about 7:15 p.m. The city ordinance violation is a misdemeanor.
They had ignored directions to stop from nearby Savannah-Chatham marine patrol officers who saw them disrobing, Miller said.
“The marine patrol officers helped them from the waters where they were struggling with an unexpected current and the effects of previous partying,” Miller said.
Police said there were no incidents of note in the festival zone early Saturday.