Another swimmer without a life jacket disappears in Delaware River’s fast currents
Bushkill. Christopher Schofield, 23, of Stroudsburg, was last seen struggling without a life jacket amid fast currents. Multiple drownings of swimmers without life jackets occurred last year in the Delaware, with its varied currents.
| 22 Jun 2022 | 07:05
Christopher Schofield , 23, was last seen struggling, without a life jacket, in a fast current in the Delaware River.
Christopher Schofield, 23, from Stroudsburg, was attempting to swim across the Delaware River with two other people near Prices Landing at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening when he began struggling in the current, which is particularly swift in this section of the Delaware. He was last seen going under water just above the old bridge abutments about a half-mile upstream from the Interstate 80 toll bridge. The other two swimmers made it to the New Jersey shore and were later rescued by volunteer rescue team members. None of the three swimmers were wearing a life jacket.
National Park Service rangers and dive team members from Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, staff from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and volunteers from the Portland Hook and Ladder Company, Knowlton Township Fire and Rescue Company, and Pennsylvania Search and Rescue Recovery Team (SARRT) were engaged in the search for Schofield.
The combined search crews will continue to scour the Delaware River, both above and below the surface, using ground and river surface searches, divers, side scan sonar, and a cadaver dog. Crews will reassess search operations at the end of the day if no recovery is made. Crews are also keeping an eye on the weather, which could affect the safety of rescuers.