OCEAN CITY, Md. — A search and rescue operation remained underway into the weekend after a recreational boat was discovered drifting off the Maryland coast with no one aboard, prompting an urgent multi-agency response from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The search began Thursday after watchstanders at Sector Maryland-National Capital Region received a report from local law enforcement that a boater had gone missing. According to officials, the individual was known to frequent offshore fishing spots near Ocean City and is believed to have set out from Sunset Marina aboard a 25-foot recreational vessel.
After receiving a tip about the possible location of the boat, Coast Guard aircrews launched and quickly located a vessel matching its description. Crews attempted to make contact with anyone who might be aboard, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
A rescue swimmer was then deployed to investigate the boat directly. Upon boarding, the swimmer found the vessel completely empty, with no sign of the person who had reportedly departed on it.
Following that discovery, the Coast Guard formally took over as the search and rescue mission coordinator, significantly expanding the operation. Additional aircraft, helicopter crews, and surface vessels from across the Northeast joined local first responders in scouring the waters off the Maryland coastline.
On Friday, an HC-130J Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City conducted multiple aerial sweeps of the area and relocated the drifting vessel before returning to base to refuel and continue operations.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Cutter Pompano has remained on scene, conducting a closer investigation of the boat and the surrounding waters in hopes of finding clues that could help locate the missing mariner.
As of the latest update, the individual has not been found, and search efforts are ongoing. Authorities have not released the identity of the missing boater, and the circumstances surrounding how the vessel ended up empty remain under investigation.
Officials say search and rescue crews will continue operations as long as conditions allow, using all available resources to locate the missing person.
