Efforts have been stepped up Wednesday to find a Stanhope man who went missing after a canoe accident.

Crews in Passaic County are searching by land, on the river and even by helicopter for 27-year-old Joe Rivera. Rivera was canoeing on the Passaic River over the weekend when he went missing. Volunteers are looking on both sides of the river from the Newark Bay to the Paterson Falls.

The Passaic County sheriff says the search is important for the family to have a sense of closure. However, crews say the fast, expansive river makes a possible recovery quite difficult. The Red Cross is also on hand to give water and coffee to volunteers.