Dive Teams

Dive Teams, Rescue Boats Involved in River Search

7-9-08

Members of Laceyville's rescue team search the Susquehanna River near Browntown Wednesday morning. Photo by David Keeler.

Rescue crews continued their search along the Susquehanna near Wyalusing Wednesday for John Blow, 62, who turned up missing Tuesday after he went fishing in a small boat along the Susquehanna near Browntown.

Blow's son-in-law, Ron Lilley, said he believed Blow headed out on the river about 3:30 p.m., collected some bait and then headed downstream to fish.

Lilley said Blow was fishing from a small johnboat with a 4 h.p. outboard motor. Lilley said the boat easily capsized, but Blow was familiar with it and preferred fishing from it.

When Blow failed to return home to his cottage along Moravia Road behind the Wyalusing Personal Care Home, Lilley became concerned and eventually found the empty boat along the bank about 500 yards downriver from the cottage.

Rescue crews and divers were called to the scene and searched for Blow until about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday when they called off the search.

Lilley said he combed the river looking for boat cushions, life preservers, Blow's hat or other items from the boat, but found nothing. He said Blow's fishing poles were in the boat and still had their hooks attached to the poles in a manner that indicated to Lilley that he had not started to fish.

Wyalusing Volunteer Fire Company President Adam Dietz, who was at the search scene Wednesday afternoon, said four teams of divers had arrived at the scene and were set to begin another search about 1 p.m. "They marked off a portion of the river with buoys where they planned to focus their search," Dietz said. The search was being conducted just downstream from Blow's cottage, he added.

Along with dive teams from Tunkhannock and the Greater Valley who were on the scene previously, two additional teams—from the Luzerne County Sheriff's Department and Jessup—joined the search Wednesday afternoon.

In addition to the dive teams, Dietz said boats were provided by Wysox, Towanda, North Towanda and Laceyville fire companies. Up to 60 rescue personnel have been involved in the search since it was initiated Tuesday night.

Lilley said that Blow had recently been diagnosed with diabetes but was otherwise in excellent health. He described Blow as an avid fisherman with extensive knowledge of the river and boating.

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Body Found Near Sugar Run - by Wes Skillings - 7/10/2008

A body said to be that of 62-year-old John Blow has been found in the Susquehanna River near Sugar Run. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission confirmed after our initial breaking news item that it was Blow who was pronounced dead by Bradford County Coroner Thomas Carman.

The Rocket-Courier initially reported late Friday morning that the body was discovered at around 10 a.m. on Friday and that it was in the vicinity of an offshoot of the river known as McCarty’s Little Eddy.

The time of the discovery is now given as 9:25 a.m. It has been further reported that the body was found by an individual described as a family friend who was not involved with search and rescue teams. Peter Napoli, Deputy Commissioner of the Fish & Boat Commission, clarified reports of a bloodhound being involved. He said that the bloodhound had been brought in to assist with the search, but didn't need to be utilized because the body had been found.

Napoli also stated that though there were reports of the search being called off, that did not pertain to his agency.

Blow was first reported missing on the Susquehanna River in the vicinity of Browntown Tuesday evening.

Further information will come with the preliminary findings of a scheduled autopsy.