Man safely rescued from Rio Grande at Las Cruces park after water starts flowing

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A water rescue took place Thursday afternoon along the Rio Grande in Las Cruces, with first-responders pulling a man to safety.

The rescue operation unfolded between 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. at La Llorona Park, where fire and rescue personnel had assembled after a woman reported seeing the man stuck in the river near the Picacho Bridge.

Firefighters were able to rescue him and said he wasn't injured in the ordeal.

The incident occurred after a water release from Caballo Lake earlier this week resulted in the Rio Grande flowing for the first time this summer. Experts told ABC-7 that the water in the river was running at about 2,000 cubic feet per second.

Unlike past years when signs have been put up warning about swimming in the river, ABC-7 crews observed no such signs at the park on Thursday.