HAVERHILL, Mass. — A Haverhill man drowned Wednesday night after what witnesses say was a drug-induced fight with this girlfriend.
Forty-seven-year-old Trent Cook jumped into Merrimack River in Haverhill before 8 p.m. According to police,both his friend and his girlfriend tried to save them. A man who was also fishing nearby tried to help save Cook.
"I jumped in after him and my friend Mike was there and I begged him to jump in with me and we just tried to save him," said Courtney Matheson, Cook's girlfriend.
Firefighters responded and helped pulled Cook out of the river. He was taken to Holy Family Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Cook is being remembered as a good person, but as many others are, was struggling with an opioid addiction. Friends say he leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter.
"He was a good guy. He cared for everyone, just yesterday about 45 minutes or an hour before a little boy had cut his finger and Trent ran to go and get band aids," said Melanie Roman, a friend.
Friends also want his death to serve as a call for action to lawmakers, saying that more resources are needed now to combat the region's opioid crisis.
"He's a good guy. Not a bad person because the drugs, it's bad. This epidemic is just ridiculous. It needs to stop. It needs to," said Matheson.
The district attorney said no foul play is suspected in the drowning.
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