Fremont Police Warns Against Niles Creek Swimming

Fremont police used a city bulletin on May 22 to warn residents and visitors not to swim or gather in the Niles Creek area over Memorial Day weekend. The notice said the area is “illegal and unsafe,” and said officers would patrol the site during the holiday weekend. The warning came as local agencies prepared for heavier outdoor traffic ahead of Memorial Day on Monday, May 25. Police said the creek has a history of fatal incidents and urged people to stay out of the water and away from the restricted area. ### What exactly did Fremont police tell people not to do? The Fremont Connection bulletin dated May 22 said “swimming or gathering in the Niles Creek area is both illegal and unsafe.” The city told residents planning a Memorial Day picnic to avoid the site and said officers would be “on patrol in the area this weekend, keeping an eye out for trespassers.” (content.govdelivery.com) Fremont Police Department’s website lists the agency’s alert and social media channels as places where residents can receive updates directly from police. The department’s public information pages also list its non-emergency line and community alert system. ### Why did police single out Niles Creek before the holiday? Police said in reporting carried by Patch and other aggregators that “many people have lost their lives swimming in the area.” The city bulletin did not list a number of deaths, but it tied the holiday warning to repeated safety problems at the creek. (content.govdelivery.com) (fremontpolice.gov) A 2024 drowning in the broader Niles-Alameda Creek area underscored those risks. Alameda County sheriff’s officials confirmed that an 11-year-old girl died after entering Alameda Creek in the Niles Canyon area on Memorial Day 2024, according to local news reports. (msn.com) ### Is the danger only about swimming, or also about access to the area? The May 22 city bulletin framed the issue as both a water-safety problem and an access problem. The notice said swimming or gathering there is illegal, and it said officers would be watching for trespassers during the weekend. News reports summarizing the warning said the restricted zone can bring consequences for unauthorized entry, though the official city bulletin itself focused on the ban and the planned patrols rather than spelling out penalties. (livermorevine.com) ### Has there been a fatal incident there before? (content.govdelivery.com) KTVU reported that a 26-year-old man drowned in a creek in Fremont’s Niles District in 2023 after witnesses saw him trying to cross the water near Third and I streets. The station said Alameda County sheriff’s deputies, Fremont police, park district personnel and fire crews responded. (newsbreak.com) NBC Bay Area’s syndicated report on the 2024 Memorial Day drowning said warning signs were posted in the creek bed area, even as families continued to visit the waterway during hot weather. That case involved Alameda Creek rather than the text of the city’s current Niles Creek bulletin, but it added recent context to the police warning about dangerous water conditions in the same broader area. (ktvu.com) ### What should residents expect over Memorial Day weekend? Memorial Day is Monday, May 25, and Fremont police said officers would be in the Niles Creek area through the holiday weekend. The city’s police calendar also shows the department lobby closed on May 25 for the city-observed holiday. Fremont police directed the public to the department’s alert system and official channels for current information. (nbcsandiego.com) The next listed public events on the department calendar after the holiday are “Lemonade with Superheroes” on June 4 and the Fremont Pride Fair on June 13. (fremontpolice.gov) (content.govdelivery.com)