A search is underway on the upper Bay for a missing boater, swept from a jon boat on Monday evening. It happened on the Susquehanna River near Port Deposit.
The Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) and other first responders are searching for the boater, a 51-year-old man wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans.
NRP says three people were out fishing when they were swept from their partially-submerged boat. According to TowBoatUS Chesapeake City, a caller reported a 16-foot jon boat had hit a log and was taking on water. The caller said the boat was stuck. While two people on board managed to swim to shore, the third person was nowhere to be found.
The search for the missing man went on well into Tuesday, with crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland State Police, Harford County Fire and EMS, and Harford County Sheriff’s Office all responding.
NRP asks anyone with information about the location of the 51-year-old man to call Natural Resources Police Communications at 800-628-9944. While the search goes on, police discourage boaters from traveling in the Susquehanna River near Port Deposit “due to dangerous conditions and ongoing search operations.” They’re asking everyone to use extreme caution in the area.
The man’s disappearance sadly comes just three weeks after a fatal boating accident on the North East River, just east of Port Deposit one river over from the Susquehanna. In that case, a 27-year-old man’s body was recovered after his unmanned boat was found up against a bulkhead.
Chesapeake Bay Magazine will monitor for updates in the search for the Port Deposit boater.
