Bad idea: 3 teens try to float down Nisqually River on blowup air mattress

MCKENNA, Wash. -- Two teenage boys and a teenage girl left the McKenna area and tried to float down the Nisqually River on a queen-size blowup air mattress Monday.

"It was the type you put on the floor for guests to sleep on. Nobody had a life jacket or a jacket of any sort. They were wearing shorts and shirts. They did not have any equipment, gear, or experience on the water," said Pierce County Sheriff's Det. Ed Troyer.

Searchers started looking for the trio Monday afternoon after getting a report they were missing. They learned the 17-year-old girl got out when the water proved too cold and climbed up the bank. She was scratched up but able to find a ride back.

The two teenage boys  -- a 17-year-old and 18-year-old -- made it to JBLM near the area reserved for tank training.

"They washed ashore, were scared and were begging people not to shoot them," said Troyer.

The two were given a ride back to McKenna.