NEWBURY, Mass. — An extensive water search ended Wednesday with crews pulling the body of a man from the Parker River in Newbury.
Divers recovered the man’s body after Environmental Police using side-scan sonar from a boat detected an object under the water, state police said.
Troopers dove on that location and made the recovery at a depth of 10-12 feet.
Newbury Police Chief John Lucey told Boston 25 News the man was out boating with his family and decided to take a swim by himself around 4:20 p.m.
It’s unclear if his family saw him go under, but a witness on a jet-ski saw the whole thing.
“There was a Good Samaritan who tried to assist, but the current did pull the man in and pulled him under,” said Lucey.
The MSP Air Wing and Dive Team, as well as the Coast Guard and Harbormaster, then began a search for the missing person.
The search happened about a mile and a half from the 1A bridge on High Road.
The body was recovered from the river around 9 p.m.
Troopers from the MSP Crime Scene Services Section and State Police Detective Unit for Essex County are now conducting a death investigation.
“He wasn’t wearing a flotation device. Even if you’re going to be recreationally swimming, in types of turbulent waters, it might be a good idea to consider that,” said Lucey. “Things can sneak up quickly and unexpectedly. Tides are very unpredictable.”
Police said the man was a local and an experienced swimmer.
He has not been formally identified by authorities.
According to police, he was pulled down by the current in an area of the river that narrows as the tide was outgoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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