Rescue workers pulled a Chillicothe man from the Illinois River tonight after what police say appears to be a fishing accident.

Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll says the 76–year–old man was pronounced dead in the back of an ambulance at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe. Ingersoll will release the man's name upon family notification.

A neighbor spotted a man in the Illinois River behind the 15–thousand block of River Beach Road in Rome around six this evening.

Police say one minute the man appeared to be fishing in his 14–foot johnboat, the next minute he was in the water.
Police say the neighbor immediately went out in a rowboat to help the man.

The Good Samaritan held onto the elderly man until Chillicothe fire and rescue arrived.

Johnna Ingersoll says emergency workers pulled the man from 12 feet of water, about 150 feet off shore.

The 76–year–old man was pronounced dead on the way to a hospital.
Police are trying to figure out what drew the man out of his boat.

"For whatever reasons, don't know how, he ended up going overboard. No idea medical, mechanical, no idea," said Jim Byron, of the Illinois Conservation Police.

Peoria County Coroner, Johnna Ingersoll says the man had no visible signs of injury.

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.