Meet Joe DeAngelo: Dead Man Floating

It was a grizzly scene along the banks of the Susquehanna River as witnesses, police, and the coroner stared at the corpse floating in the water. After taping off the crime scene and with the coroner on hand, the police were entering the water to retrieve the corpse when it sat up. Lycoming County Coroner Charles E. Kiessling Jr. no doubt spoke for many in saying “Let me tell you, it was quite a shock for us.”

The emergency crews were debating the best way to retrieve the body when Joe got up. DeAngelo explained later that he was taking a nap and woke not — not due to the arrival of police, coroner, or ambulance but when a dragonfly landed on his nose. He was wearing pants and a life jacket. In the world’s best response, he explained “I didn’t mean to worry anyone” and it is nice sometimes “just to float and forget your troubles.”

This is a problem that had long plagued city officials, though some would not allow an inconveniently alive subject to stop municipal work:

Source: Sacramento Bee