Search continues for man swept away in Passaic River

Search teams spent a second day looking for a bridge inspector who was swept away in rough waters after falling into the Passaic River Monday afternoon. Authorities in Passaic County say despite the

News 12 Staff

Jun 17, 2015, 5:26 AM

Updated 3,480 days ago

Share:

Search teams spent a second day looking for a bridge inspector who was swept away in rough waters after falling into the Passaic River Monday afternoon.
Authorities in Passaic County say despite the efforts of more than 80 rescue personnel, they still have not found the man.
The man and his partner were inspecting a bridge near Weasel Brook, which feeds into the Passaic River, at around 2 p.m. Monday. They both work for Transystems, which specializes in bridge construction, repair and inspections. Heavy rains in the area caused the men to fall off the bridge and into the water.
Bystanders were able to get one of the men to safety, but the other was swept away as the river waters rose to over 10 feet.
Emergency crews immediately began a rescue effort to save the man, but the search was called off by 8 p.m. Monday.
The searched resumed Tuesday morning. Dive teams have been searching parts of the river, and also down in the storm drains and other areas that connect to the river.
The Passaic fire chief says there is a lot of debris in the river, which is hampering the search effort.