UPDATE: Friday, 2:58 p.m.:
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Searchers from Bucks County, Philadelphia, New Jersey and the Coast Guard have joined the search for a man who went missing from his boat just off the coast of Croydon in Bristol Township Friday afternoon.
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Authorities at the scene called their efforts a “recovery mission.”
Acting Bristol Township Chief of Police Lt. John Godzieba said two fishermen on the bank of the Delaware River spotted the roughly 15-foot boat cruising down the waterway around 1 p.m. The witnesses told police the southbound boat hit the wake from a northbound tug boat and the lone occupant of the pleasure vessel fell into the river. The man was spotted trying to swim to the boat but disappeared from view after about two minutes.
The witnesses reportedly said they did not spot a life jacket on the missing man.
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The man went overboard in the area of the 45-foot-deep shipping channel off the Second Avenue ramp in Croydon.
The boat drove in circles for about 20 minutes before running out of fuel, the acting chief told LevittownNow.com.
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Police have determined the boat was registered to a West Bristol address. Godzieba said they are not yet sure the identity of the man who fell in the water.
A fire official at the scene says the search area extends from Croydon into Bensalem and New Jersey.
Original Story:
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Crews from multiple agencies are searching the Delaware River between the Croydon section of Bristol Township and Philadelphia for a man who went missing in the murky water.
Water rescue crews were dispatched shortly after 1 p.m. Friday and began searching for the man, who reportedly went overboard from a small boat.
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The main area the search is concentrated on as of 2 p.m. is near the Neshaminy State Marina.
Firefighters from the Croydon Fire Company retrieved the man’s boat from the river, according to an official at the scene. Video shot by 6abc’s news helicopter showed a boat purported to be that of the missing man going in circles with no one at the helm.
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The Coast Guard was reported to be responding to the scene.
Below is video of the out-of-control boat from 6abc:
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Here’s a map of the main search area as of 2 p.m.:
