Police Warn Against Swimming Niles Creek

Fremont police used the days before Memorial Day to issue a blunt warning about Niles Creek: stay out of the water and out of the restricted area. A city bulletin published May 22 said swimming or gathering in the Niles Creek area is illegal and unsafe, and said officers would be on patrol through the holiday weekend. The Fremont Police Department said it was working with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Alameda County and Caltrans to enforce trespassing laws in and around the creek. The warning came as warm weather and the three-day weekend were expected to draw more visitors into Niles Canyon. ### Why did police issue the warning before Memorial Day? The May 22 city bulletin tied the warning directly to Memorial Day weekend plans. “Planning a Memorial Day picnic this weekend? If your plans include a day at Niles Creek, think again,” the bulletin said, adding that swimming or gathering there is both illegal and unsafe. Fremont police said officers would be watching for trespassers during the holiday weekend. (content.govdelivery.com) The Fremont Police Department said in a public warning carried Saturday that residents and visitors should avoid the area because of dangerous conditions. Patch’s report, republished by MSN, said police warned against swimming in Niles Creek ahead of Memorial Day weekend because of hazardous currents. (content.govdelivery.com) ### What exactly did officials say is prohibited there? Fremont police said the restriction covers both entering the water and gathering in the area. The city bulletin said swimming or gathering in the Niles Creek area is illegal and unsafe, while a separate public posting said the department was coordinating enforcement with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Alameda County and Caltrans. That posting said violators could be cited or arrested, and illegally parked vehicles could be cited or towed. (msn.com) California Penal Code 602 was cited in one account of the enforcement plan. NewsBreak’s summary of the warning said entering the restricted zone could bring trespassing consequences under that law, though the city bulletin itself focused on patrols and enforcement rather than listing a statute. (content.govdelivery.com) ### What dangers did police point to at Niles Creek? Police said the danger is not theoretical. Patch’s report said officers warned that “many people have lost their lives” swimming in the area, a line that framed the warning as part of a repeated pattern of fatal incidents. A Memorial Day drowning in the same broader creek corridor underscored that history. (newsbreak.com) On May 27, 2024, Fremont police responded to Alameda Creek adjacent to Niles Canyon Road on a report of a drowning, according to Pleasanton Weekly’s account. The victim, an 11-year-old girl, later died, and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the death, according to local reports. (msn.com) A separate fatality was reported in Fremont’s Niles District in 2023. KTVU reported that a 26-year-old man drowned in a creek there after witnesses saw him struggling in the water and going under. ### Is there a legal place nearby for people who want to swim? Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area in Fremont is one nearby site where water recreation is formally managed. (pleasantonweekly.com) The Alameda County Water District says the park is jointly administered with the East Bay Regional Park District, which operates swimming and other water-related activities there. A Swim Guide page for Niles Beach South at Quarry Lakes also describes an established swimming area with regular monitoring. (ktvu.com) The East Bay Regional Park District draws a sharper line at Alameda Creek itself. Its Alameda Creek Regional Trail page says the trail follows the creek from the mouth of Niles Canyon westward, and separately notes that swimming is never allowed at Lago Los Osos within Quarry Lakes. ### Who is enforcing the warning this weekend? Fremont police named three partner agencies in the enforcement effort: the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Alameda County and Caltrans. (acwd.org) The department said officers would patrol the area over the Memorial Day weekend and take action against trespassers and illegally parked vehicles. (ebparks.org) May 25 is listed on the Fremont Police Department website as a city-observed holiday closure for the department lobby, but the public warning said patrols in the Niles Creek area would continue through the weekend. Fremont’s city bulletin and police channels were the places officials used to post the notice and related updates. (fremontpolice.gov) (nextdoor.com)