Man Pulled From Truckee River; Baby Rescued From Floodwaters

Tom Darby

RENO, Nev. (Dec. 24, 2025) — A man was arrested Tuesday night after jumping into the Truckee River while attempting to evade police, prompting a multi-agency rescue response.

The Reno Police Department says officers responded to the Mill Street area following reports of a domestic disturbance. Investigators say the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Pietro Short, attempted to enter his ex-girlfriend’s home but left before officers arrived.

Police later located Short’s vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but he drove away. The pursuit ended near Lake and Mill streets, where authorities say Short exited the car without placing it in park, before it rolled backward, striking and damaging a city light pole.

According to police, Short then jumped into the Truckee River. Fire crews launched two rescue boats, and a total of nine fire department units responded to the scene. Short was eventually pulled from the river near the Second Street Bridge and transported to REMSA for medical evaluation.

Police found Short to be an ex-felon and allegedly violated his registration requirements, and officers also located narcotics in his possession. He was booked on charges including home invasion, eluding officers, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, and destruction of property.

In a separate dramatic rescue Sunday afternoon near Donner Pass, emergency crews saved a baby and several others from a home surrounded by rising floodwaters.

Video released by CHP Gold Run shows responders carefully sliding an infant secured in a car seat across a fire truck ladder as fast-moving water rushed below.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office says rapidly rising water along the South Yuba River prompted evacuation warnings for nearby homes. A total of nine people came from the flooded house.

Authorities continue to urge residents to heed evacuation warnings and avoid flooded areas as winter storms impact the region.