A man went missing in the Susquehanna River late Friday afternoon after falling off a personal watercraft near Goldsboro in York County, prompting a multi-agency search that stretched into the night before crews were forced to stop. He reportedly was not wearing a life vest when he fell into the water, according to one account of the incident.
According to the York Daily Record, York County Office of Emergency Management spokesperson Ted Czech said the first 911 dispatch call came in around 5:20 p.m. Friday. That timing differs slightly from other accounts: Local21 News reported crews were dispatched around 5:13 p.m., while PennLive put the reported time at 5:23 p.m.
Local21 News said the man had fallen off a jet ski in the area of Shelley Island in Dauphin County. PennLive additionally reported that the man was not wearing a life vest.
First responders canvassed the river as the search expanded.
The search operation deployed drones, boats and helicopters, with crews from York County, Dauphin County, Cumberland County, Lancaster County, Londonderry Township, Swatara Township and Middletown all participating, according to the York Daily Record. Pennsylvania State Police also took part, and the same outlet's account is echoed by Local21 News, which reported that boats were launched into the river while drones and a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter flew overhead.
Search Called Off as Darkness Fell
The York Daily Record reported, per WGAL, that the search for the missing man stopped around 9:30 p.m. Friday, a timeline matching Local21 News's report that crews cleared the scene around 9:30 p.m.
As of the most recent reporting, it remained unclear whether the missing man had been located, per Local21 News. Authorities had not provided any confirmation on the timing or occurrence of a resumed search Saturday. The York Daily Record noted its report would be updated as more information becomes available.
Falls from personal watercraft and boats into the Susquehanna River are not new to the region. In 2008, a local boater vanished after falling off his boat into the Susquehanna, with rescue officials expecting to resume that search the following morning, according to LancasterOnline.
