Community Corner

Search Suspended for Missing Summit Man Due to Weather

Gary West, 38, has been missing since Saturday afternoon, but his daughter managed to float to a Pennsylvania riverbank.

By Caitlin Mahon and John Patten

A missing Summit resident whose tube capsized in the Delaware River on Saturday remained missing Monday afternoon as State Police suspended their search due to poor weather.

A New Jersey State Police boat was on the Delaware River for one hour Monday, searching for Gary West, 38, using side scan sonar when the boat had to come off the river due to the rain, New Jersey State Police Spokesman Sgt. Adam Grossman said. 

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“When the weather gets better, they will go out there,” Grossman said. “They are on stand by for now.”

While Grossman doesn’t know exactly when the search will resume, he said it should resume when the weather improves.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

West has been missing since about 1:40 p.m. Saturday when the tube he and his 14-year-old daughter were rafting on the Delaware River overturned. West's daughter managed to float to a Pennsylvania riverbank.  

West and his family were at the Delaware River Family Campground in Warren County before they went into the river with a group of others. West and his daughter became separated from the rest of the group in the river before overturning. 
 
State police divers, marine services and aviation crews responded after the report Saturday, searching until about 8 p.m. The teams made three dives Sunday, Grossman said, which ended at 2 p.m.

The Easton Expres-Times reported Saturday Pennsylvania resident Frank DiLeo heard cries from the daughter as she climbed out of the water, and searched for her father to no avail. The article also reported river warnings had been issued to try and keep people out of the water, after recent rains caused the river to rise. 

Patch will update this article as information is available. 


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