BUSHKILL, PA- National Park Service rangers and Search and Rescue Team members from Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River are engaged in a search for a missing swimmer who was reported to be struggling in the water while swimming in the Delaware River at Karamac at around 8 pm on Thursday evening. Karamac is located on the New Jersey side of the park, about a mile north of Interstate 80.
According to witness statements, the 19-year-old Paterson, NJ man was attempting to swim from the shoreline to the bridge abutments with three other people when he began struggling in the current before disappearing under the water. The current in this section of the river is particularly swift. Three other swimmers were later rescued by volunteer rescue team members from Portland Hook and Ladder Company out of Portland, PA. None of the swimmers were wearing a life jacket.
The search will continue today by boat and on foot. According to US Park Ranger and incident commander for this search Todd Roessner, “crews are also keeping an eye on the weather which could affect the safety of rescuers. In the event of foul weather, the search will be suspended temporarily until conditions are again deemed safe." The Delaware River is at 8 feet at the Montague gauge, and rising, which is two to three feet higher than average for this time of year, making conditions unsafe and unsuitable for dive operations.
Park Rangers remind river users that any time the river reaches the 8 foot mark at the Montague gauge, lifejackets are mandatory for all boaters. When the Delaware reaches 15 feet, the river and all access points are closed. River levels can be monitored here: Delaware River at Montague NJ - USGS Water Data for the Nation.
NOTE: The motorboat launch at Kittatinny Point is closed until further notice due to ongoing search operations.
Updates will be provided when they are available.
-NPS-
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service