Authorities have suspended the search for a 67-year-old man who went missing in the Hudson River during a swimming competition.

About a dozen boats and divers from the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies searched the river for the unidentified man who went missing while competing in a long-distance swimming race. He was one of more than a dozen swimmers competing in the weeklong open-water event known as the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim.

The swimmer was last seen near the George Washington Bridge around 3:15 p.m. Friday.

The event has seven stages. Friday was Stage 6, which is a swim from the Tappan Zee Bridge to the George Washington Bridge – a distance of almost 16 miles. Officials say at some point, fellow competitors noticed the swimmer went missing. The search was suspended around 7:30 p.m.

Competition organizer New York Open Water released a statement following the search.

“On behalf of New York Open Water, it is with great sadness that we report the loss of a swimmer today on Stage 6 of the 8 Bridges Open Water Swim. Our thoughts are first and foremost with the swimmer’s family and in respect for their privacy, we are declining to name the swimmer at this time.”

“The New York Police Department is continuing search efforts in the Hudson River and the Stage 7 swim scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled. We can confirm that all swimmer safety protocols were in place and that the NYPD was escorting the field. We will continue to work closely with the authorities and will provide updates as they become available.”

The search is expected to resume Saturday morning.