Missing Man's Body Found In Delaware River

HARDWICK, NJ — The body of a missing New York man has been found in the Delaware River, a parks spokesperson said.

Christopher I. Rivera, 20, was found in the river in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, downstream of the Karamac Bridge abutments around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, parks spokesperson Kathleen Sandt said.

Rivera was on a rafting trip with friends when he stopped to swim around 4 p.m., Sandt said. His friends saw him struggle in the current before he slipped under the water. He was not wearing a life jacket, Sandt said.

"Park rangers remind all river users to wear a properly-fitted US Coast Guard approved life jacket at all times whether swimming, floating, fishing or boating on the Delaware River," Sandt said. "The current can be swift and strong despite the calm appearance and river depths can change rapidly going from knee-deep to over your head in a single step. Wearing a life jacket can save your life."

The Karamac Bridge abutments are about a quarter of a mile north of the I-80 bridge between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.