Swimmers pulled from rushing river but 19-year-old vanishes, Pennsylvania rescuers say

Crews in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are searching for a 19-year-old swimmer who went missing in swift river water, park rangers say.

National Park Service rangers say the 19-year-old from Paterson, New Jersey, went missing Thursday, July 13, while swimming with three other people.

He and the other swimmers were on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River and were attempting to swim from the shoreline to bridge piers.

But the group began struggling in the current and went underwater.

The other three swimmers were rescued by crews from Portland, Pennsylvania, according to the National Park Service.

The 19-year-old was not found, however. He was identified by WNEP as Jose Madera Martinez.

The area where he went missing, along the Karamac Trail in the Poconos, had a rough current.

Park rangers said the search continued Friday, July 14, by boat and on foot. Because of rising river water, the conditions are unsafe for divers.

“Crews are also keeping an eye on the weather which could affect the safety of rescuers,” U.S. Park Ranger Todd Roessner said in the news release. “In the event of foul weather, the search will be suspended temporarily until conditions are again deemed safe.”

This story was originally published July 14, 2023 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Swimmers pulled from rushing river but 19-year-old vanishes, Pennsylvania rescuers say."