An 84-year-old man from Bedford, Massachusetts, is missing after the boat he had been riding turned up crashed and empty along the York, Maine shoreline. Chester Benjamin Wiggins had left Cape Neddick Harbor aboard his 17-foot blue Boston Whaler, and by Wednesday afternoon his vessel was found run aground near Freeman Street with no one on board.
Wiggins departed Cape Neddick Harbor around 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Portland Press Herald, though the newspaper also reported that he was last seen around 6:30 p.m. that same night, leaving officials with two slightly different accounts of his final sighting. His boat was later discovered unoccupied and crashed along the shoreline near Freeman Street in York at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, as reported by WGME. Local police and the Maine State Marine Patrol issued a missing persons report for Wiggins after the discovery, according to NBC Boston.
Overnight Search Grows to Include Helicopter
Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor launched a fast-response cutter Sept. 23 and kept searching through the night, per NBC Boston's reporting. An HH-60 helicopter joined the effort at dawn Thursday, the station notes, expanding the search from the water into the air as hope for a quick recovery narrowed.
Wiggins is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 220 pounds, with blue eyes and gray hair, according to WMTW. He was last seen wearing a blue flannel shirt, tan shorts and low-cut boots, the Press Herald reports.
Active Search Suspended, but Ground Crews Keep Looking
The Coast Guard suspended its active search Thursday pending any new information, NBC Boston reports. Coast Guard official Matt Baker said the decision to suspend a search is never easy, and it is made only after careful consideration of all available information, according to NBC Boston's reporting. WMTW reported the Coast Guard's own statement that after evaluating search efforts, environmental conditions and survivability factors, it made the difficult decision to suspend the active search.
Even with the Coast Guard stepping back, the search for Wiggins hasn't stopped on land or by air. The Press Herald reports that Maine Marine Patrol continued searching by plane Thursday morning while York police launched drones. Separately, Wicked Local reports that Maine State Marine Patrol remained on the ground at York Beach near Freeman Street continuing the search.
Authorities Seek Tips and Camera Footage
York police have asked the public to report any sightings of Wiggins, his boat, or other relevant information, per NBC Boston. Police are also asking people with cameras near Cape Neddick Harbor and surrounding areas to review their footage, according to WMTW's reporting. Anyone with information can call York police at 207-363-4444 or the Maine State Marine Patrol at 207-624-7076, per NBC Boston.
