A Lackawannock Township man who decided to go rafting with his friends to cool off Tuesday ended up stuck in the Shenango River.

Justin Ulan, 21, of 7266 Market St., was stranded in a plastic inflatable raft at about 3:30 p.m., Sharon police said.

David Williams, 21, of Hermitage said he, Ulan and two other friends -- a female and a male -- started from Sharpsville in two separate rafts because they were hot. Their excursion led them down river by Consumers Pennsylvania Water Co.'s Sharon plant, next to the falls.

Williams said as they neared the water plant they noticed warning signs for the falls and tried to get out of the water, but the current was too strong.

"I couldn't get to shore and there was only one way to go. I tried getting out of the water, but I was in the middle of the river. I got out of the boat and went under water, when I came up I was in front of the boat. I tried getting back in the boat but it pushed away down the stream," he said.

Eventually, Williams said, he and the two other friends, who refused to identify themselves, pushed themselves downstream to a wall and were able to climb out of the river. Williams said his foot was bleeding.

"We decided to come out and enjoy the heat and all this ended up happening," he said.

Williams said Ulan, who was stuck in a raft, was trying to get to the other raft, which was left in the lurch on the falls.

Hermitage firefighters received the initial call and Sharon police and firefighters also responded, Sharon police said. Ulan was ordered to stay in his raft and eventually was pulled from the river with a rope, firefighters said.

Ulan was charged with recklessly operating a water craft and disorderly conduct, police said.

Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett contributed to this story.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writers Larissa Theodore at ltheodore@sharon-herald.com or Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com