A man has been arrested after he allegedly swam across the Niagara River from Canada, to try to illegally enter the United States.

U.S. Border Protection say they got a call about a man in the water just south of the Whirlpool Bridge on Tuesday evening.  They found a life vest and swim fins near the shoreline, but the swimmer was no longer in the area. A possible vehicle involved was identified to local police.

Then around 3 a.m., Niagara County Sheriff’s office found the vehicle at a local mall. Border Patrol agents arrested the suspected swimmer and two others.  The swimmer and another person in the vehicle are citizens of Spain, while the driver of the vehicle is a citizen of the U.S.

“This individual placed himself in extreme danger by swimming across the Niagara River in attempt to illegally enter the U.S. and is lucky to have survived the ordeal. The river is immensely hazardous with rapids, strong currents and low water temperatures”, said Patrol Agent Josh Barrett of the Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station.