No drowning near Freeport Sunday night

It appears reports of someone possibly drowning in the Allegheny River near Freeport Sunday night were a false alarm.

A late night search of the Allegheny River by crews from Freeport Borough and Allegheny Township yielded no results and was called off, according to Freeport Fire Department officials.

Westmoreland County dispatchers said Sunday evening that they weren't sure what emergency crews should be looking for, but that somebody had reportedly been yelling for help from near or in the river sometime around 10:30 p.m.

According to dispatchers, callers to 911 said they heard a woman screaming and then a loud splash in the river, but no one actually witnessed anyone falling or jumping into the river, which remains swollen from recent heavy rains.

However, after hours of searching both riverbanks and scanning the water surface with a drone and a helicopter, no one was found in distress.

Crews were cleared from the search by 12:30 a.m. Monday, and the fire department said they would not search further without some evidence that they are actually needed.

Matthew Medsger is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-226-4675, mmedsger@tribweb.com, or via Twitter @matthew_medsger.