Saturday dawned warm and sunny, with news of another tragedy on the Seneca River.
The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office reported that a man, who remains unidentified, went missing early Saturday, July 11, near Lions Park in the town of Van Buren in the river. Deputies, along with representatives from the Baldwinsville Fire Department, are actively searching the water for the man.
In a release, Det. Jon Seeber said a resident living of Seneca Avenue in Van Buren was awoken around 5 a.m. by a male screaming for help. The resident looked out his window and noticed a man in distress in the river; he immediately called 911, then ran to the shoreline and threw the man a floatation device. The man in the water, however, continued downstream. He was last seen by rescuers in the 7700 block of Seneca Beach Drive. It was unclear who the man was or where he went into the river.
Rescue efforts are currently underway, with teams from around the county working to find the man. Dive teams from Baldwinsville Fire and the sheriff’s department are in the river, with assistance from the Tully and South Bay fire departments. The Onondaga County Navigation Team has been searching areas of the Seneca River in with assistance from the Air-1 Helicopter, along with the Baldwinsville, Seneca River and Liverpool Fire Rescue, who launched several boats of their own to assist. Additional resources from Onondaga County Emergency Management, Lakeside Fire and GBAC Ambulance, have all assisted as well.
The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone in the area of the Seneca River between Lions Park and the Onondaga Lake outlet to please call 911 if you see anything unusual.
