London: Police seek the identity of a man rescued from the Thames River last week. He has unusual and distinctive tattoo marking. They released photos of him and a close-up of a "dragon-like" tattoo, the Guardian noted. He also has a tattoo on his leg. He was rescued by RNLI near the Putney Embankment. According to the police, he may have met with an accident and become injured in the water, so no foul play is attributed at this time.
Identification of rescued man
The police explained that the man is white, around 30-years-old, dark complexioned, and of medium build.
He has dark hair. His camouflage tee-short had the words "Now or never, no regrets, past/present/future” printed on it. According to the BBC, his leg tattoo seems to be in a type of tribal style. Other items that may help identify him were his track pant-trousers which were grey. The pockets were trimmed in back. He was wearing blue plimsolls and carried a green and white Dunlop bag.
Police seek relatives of the rescued man
Det Sgt Samantha Batchelor said in a statement that they have tried all other avenues of identification and have run out of options. They would like to see him reunited with his family, so they called on anyone who knows him to step forward. The rescue took place on 26 July in the early evening and ambulances responded.
He was rescued and then airlifted to a hospital. His condition is considered to be stable, but critical.
July was a busy time for Thames River rescuers
July was a busy month for rescuers as there were a number of incidents involving the Thames River. On 12 July, the Henley Standard reported that "two men were treated for hypothermia after being rescued from the River Thames at Henley in the early hours of [the] morning."
On 6 July, a man was just seconds away from drowning when he was pulled from the water during the heat wave.
The Mirror reported that he'd become "trapped under a wooden pier." One of the lifeboat members went into the water to get him out the water.
On 23 July, a woman cyclist was rescued by a lifeboat crew after she fell 7ft off a path, onto the embankment, Evening Standard noted. The public tried to help, but she had head injuries, and professional help saw her quickly moved away from the encroaching tide and she was removed to a hospital.
Summer has been hot and people tend to get out and about more, which may account for many incidents involving the Thames River in the month of July. If you do know the man who was rescued from the Thames River with a tattoo on his hand and leg, police request that you call the missing persons unit on 101.