PUERTO RICO · TRAVEL SAFETY
Key Facts
- —What is happening A 33-year-old Ohio man on vacation died on Wednesday, 14 October, at Charco El Hippie, a natural river pool in Naguabo, eastern Puerto Rico, after jumping from a rock into the water and not resurfacing.
- —Why it matters El Hippie is a well-known swimming spot near the El Yunque rainforest that tour companies sell to visitors, and a tourist from Utah drowned at the same pool in November 2023.
- —The numbers The emergency call came in at about 5:48 p.m. local time, the same as US Eastern time; the man was 33, and his partner, a 30-year-old Ohio resident, raised the alarm.
- —Who is who Police in the Naguabo district opened the case and passed it to the Homicide Division of the Criminal Investigations Corps in Humacao and a prosecutor, while Naguabo’s municipal emergency team recovered the body.
- —What to watch An official cause of death has not been released, so it is not yet confirmed whether a blow to the head from a rock or drowning killed him.
- —What it means for you Americans need no passport to visit Puerto Rico, a US territory, but its mountain river pools can hold hidden rocks and sudden surges, and local officials urge visitors to learn about a site before swimming there.
An Ohio man on vacation has died at El Hippie, a natural river pool in eastern Puerto Rico. A tourist from Utah drowned at the same spot in November 2023.
A 33-year-old Ohio tourist died on Wednesday, 14 October, at El Hippie, a river pool in Naguabo, eastern Puerto Rico. His partner told police he jumped from a rock into the river, went under and did not resurface.
Four Puerto Rican outlets, citing police, said he appeared to have struck his head on a rock. Puerto Rico is a US territory that Americans can visit without a passport, and tour companies sell trips to the pool.
What Happened to the Ohio Tourist at El Hippie
Police received the 9-1-1 emergency call at about 5:48 p.m. on Wednesday, four local outlets reported. His partner, a 30-year-old woman who also lives in Ohio, told officers the two were together at the pool.
She said he jumped from a rock into the river and did not surface again, El Vocero and El Nuevo Día reported. Preliminary police information, cited by Metro Puerto Rico and Primera Hora, says he hit his head on a stone.
Both Metro Puerto Rico and Primera Hora said he died at the scene. Personnel from Naguabo’s municipal emergency management office found the body and brought it out of the water.
WAPA cited the town’s emergency management director, Eduardo Martínez, as saying the man had been at the pool with his partner. El Nuevo Día, citing police, said the couple were in Puerto Rico on vacation.
Who Is Investigating the Death
The police report quoted by El Vocero and El Nuevo Día identifies the man as Reid Hoffman Brendamour, 33. WAPA printed a different spelling of the surname, and his hometown in Ohio has not been made public.
Officer Jon Alexander Velázquez Berríos of the Naguabo police district led the first inquiry at the scene. He referred the case to Agent Miguel Sánchez of the Homicide Division in Humacao and to prosecutor Miguel A. García.
The Homicide Division is part of the Criminal Investigations Corps, or CIC, the detective arm of the Puerto Rico Police. None of the published police accounts mentions a suspect or any sign of foul play.
A Popular Pool With a Record of Accidents
El Hippie is a pool on the Río Blanco in Naguabo, close to the El Yunque rainforest. Tour companies sell trips to it from nearby Fajardo, and one listing calls it among the island’s most famous natural pools.
In November 2023, a tourist from Utah drowned at the same pool, Primera Hora and El Nuevo Día reported. The town’s mayor at the time, Miraidaliz Rosario Pagán, said the woman had become trapped among the rocks.
Rosario Pagán urged tourists to go with locals who know the area and its rivers. Primera Hora reported in 2015 that two women were swept away by a surge at Salto del Hippie, a Naguabo waterfall.
Officials said then that rain higher on the mountain can cause a surge even when the site itself is sunny. That warning matters for anyone planning a river day trip in eastern Puerto Rico.
What It Means for US Readers
Puerto Rico is a US territory, and USA.gov says US citizens do not need a passport to travel there from the mainland. WAPA reported that officials urged people to learn about these bodies of water before visiting them for recreation.
The safest approach is to go with a guide who knows the river and never to jump into water of unknown depth. Rain higher up the mountain can raise the river suddenly, so a clear sky over the pool is no guarantee of safety.
What Is Not Known
No official cause of death has been released, and local outlets describe it differently. Four outlets cite a blow to the head from a rock, while WAPA reported an apparent head wound but said he drowned.
El Nuevo Día’s account of the emergency call mentions a surge of water, but no other outlet reports it. His hometown, the exact time of the jump and whether others were swimming nearby have not been made public.
What Comes Next
The Humacao Homicide Division and prosecutor Miguel A. García continue the investigation, El Vocero and El Nuevo Día reported. Police have not said when the inquiry will end or when a cause of death will be announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at El Hippie in Naguabo?
A 33-year-old Ohio tourist died there on Wednesday, 14 October, after jumping from a rock into the river. Preliminary police information says he hit his head on a stone.
Who was the man who died?
The police report quoted by El Vocero and El Nuevo Día names him as Reid Hoffman Brendamour, 33, from Ohio. He was on vacation in Puerto Rico with his partner.
Where is Charco El Hippie?
It is a natural pool on the Río Blanco in Naguabo, a town in eastern Puerto Rico. The site lies close to the El Yunque rainforest, and tours run there from Fajardo.
Have other visitors died at El Hippie?
Yes, a tourist from Utah drowned at the pool in November 2023, Primera Hora and El Nuevo Día reported. The mayor at the time urged visitors to go with locals who know the rivers.
Do Americans need a passport to visit Puerto Rico?
No, USA.gov says US citizens do not need a passport to travel between the mainland and Puerto Rico. Travellers should still check their airline’s identification rules before flying.
Sources: El Nuevo Día, 14 October 2026; El Vocero; Metro Puerto Rico; Primera Hora; WAPA; Primera Hora, 7 November 2023; El Nuevo Día English, 7 November 2023; Primera Hora, 20 October 2015; USA.gov, travel to US territories (all accessed 15 October 2026).