GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — First responders located the body of a missing swimmer in the Grand River, authorities said.
The search began Thursday evening when bystanders spotted a man struggling in the water near Riverside Park.
After about two hours of searching into the dark, crews called off efforts until Friday morning when it picked up again.
The search efforts were mostly gathered around boat launch 3.
The Grand Rapids Fire Chief, Brad Brown, thanked the bystanders for their efforts.
"Honestly hats off to the bystanders that did try and help," said Brown. "They were actually providing us with minute-by-minute details."
13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke to a witness at the scene who said they watched the swimmer go under. However, they declined to speak on camera.
The police were using a drone to also search the area, and Aero Med sent a helicopter to assist as well.
Firefighters suspended the search shortly after 10:30 p.m. due to darkness. Chief Brown says recovery efforts resumed at 8:15 a.m. Friday.
The Grand Rapids Fire Department (GRFD) issued a statement saying that visibility had made search efforts more difficult even on Friday morning. To help, they contacted a bystander that witnessed the drowning. The bystander had also attempted to get in the river to rescue the man but could not reach him in time. Late Friday morning, the bystander was able to direct the rescue crew to the area where the swimmer had last been seen.
The man's body was found around 12:15 p.m. in about 7 to 8 feet of water. GRFD said they are withholding the man's name until they can confirm his identity and notify his family.
Multiple agencies worked to find the man's body. First responders used drones alongside boats with divers.
"From that stage, we're going to be doing a surface search for this victim. If we're unsuccessful with the drones, we will be deploying our boats and doing a surface search. At that point, we'll also be using sonar and underwater cameras for this search. We have many different resources at our disposal to look for this victim. We hope to recover as quickly as possible, but this is an operation that may run into this evening," Grand Rapids Fire Marshal William Smith said Friday morning.
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