Police identify 54-year kayaker who died in Brandywine

Update: September 24, 2018 

The kayaker who drowned has been identified by police as 54-year-old James Battan.

Police would not say confirm a published report that Battan capsized after striking rocks in the rain-swollen waterway, saying that was still being investigated.

Battan’s obituary described the Wilmington native as a “passionate kayaker” and avid outdoorsman and lover of nature and animals who who had previously worked as a groundskeeper on a private estate.

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An unidentified man drowned drowned Tuesday after his kayak capsized in Brandywine Creek, police said.

The fatal incident occurred about 12:40 p.m. in the river near the North Market Street Bridge, just outside the central business district.

Officers, firefighters and paramedics who responded to a 911 call saw the victim being carried down the waterway by the swift current toward the East 16th St. Bridge. Several civilians tried to get into the water to rescue the man but needed the help of first responders to get back to shore.

An officer and a paramedic pulled the unresponsive man from the water and began resuscitation efforts. He was taken to the nearby Wilmington Hospital, and pronounced dead.

Authorities said at 3:30 p.m. that they not yet confirmed the kayaker’s identity.

Authorities also warned the public that entering fast-moving water is dangerous and that those without proper training or equipment can “very easily become victims.”