A river rescue turned into a river chase in west Reno around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Blake Lister, 23, of Reno, was reported to be in trouble and screaming for help as he was washed down the Truckee River toward Idlewild Park. Reno Fire Department water rescue teams were called to the river to set up containment areas along the river downstream to save the victim. The man was not wearing a floatation device.

Rescue swimmers were able to reach Lister but he allegedly resisted their rescue attempts. The man was heard singing and talking, so it appeared to firefighters that he was not in distress.

Just above the Foster Street bridge, the man pulled himself onto a large rock near the river’s center revealing he was naked below the waist. The man appeared calm and in good humor as he tied a t-shirt around his waist. After singing to himself, the man leapt back into the river. Firefighters soon surrounded him and pushed him to shore. After a checkup at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, the man was arrested and jailed for indecent exposure (a gross misdemeanor), Reno Police Sgt. Dave Macauley said.

No alcohol was involved but Lister’s mental state and possible drug use were in question, Macauley said. Lister had purposely jumped in the river at an unknown location putting himself and rescuers at risk.

According to Macauley, after being pulled from the river Lister said, “I’ll never take drugs again!”