Coast guard halts search operation for lost kayaker — 26-foot TANB and 29-foot Response vessels on trailers at the Hurricane Dorian Incident Command Post for Coast Guard Sector Charleston. The Coast Guard prestages and relocates personnel and assets to be able to have a rapid post-storm response. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Himes.

NEW JERSEY – The Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday morning for a missing kayaker in the Raritan Bay.

At 3:12 p.m. on Saturday, Coast Guard Sector New York command center watch standers received a call from citywide 911 that three kayaks, each with one person on board, had all overturned in Raritan Bay. A nearby good Samaritan had picked up two of the kayakers from the water, but the third was still unaccounted for. None of them were wearing life jackets.

Within minutes of receiving the call, Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook launched a response boat that arrived on the scene and began searching with partner agencies for the third kayaker. Shortly after, an MH-65 helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City joined the search. They were later joined by the Coast Guard Cutter Shrike, who searched through the night. An Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 helicopter conducted the final first-light search.

“Suspending a search is never an easy decision to make,” said Capt. Jason Tama, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York. “We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends who have been impacted by this tragic incident.”

The Coast Guard utilized three boat crews and three helicopter crews in addition to multiple NYPD and FDNY assets in the search.

Involved in the search were:

Coast Guard Sector New York
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City
Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
Coast Guard Cutter Shrike
Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook
New York Police Department Aviation
New York Police Department Harbor Rescue
New York Police Department Dive Teams
New York Fire Department Marine Rescue

The Coast Guard search is suspended pending the development of new information.

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