HARDWICK TWP., Pa. - A search and rescue is now a recovery effort on the Delaware River.
The National Park Service says it no longer expects to find 23-year-old Christopher Schofield alive. Schofield was swimming in the river just after 8 p.m. Tuesday when he got caught in a current. He was not wearing a life jacket.
Boats were out for a second full day of searching Thursday near Kittatinny Point in New Jersey, with divers scouring the riverbed for signs of Schofield, and a volunteer K-9 team searching the surface of the water. But in total there were fewer boats out on the river.
The National Park Service said volunteers with the Portland Hook and Ladder Company couldn't make it back out for a second day of searching. Portland Hook and Ladder Chief James Potter says he was never contacted Thursday by the National Park Service to offer additional support in the search.
But while the National Park Service said it's no longer expecting to find Schofield alive, his family doesn't accept that.
"It's no longer a search and rescue, it's just a recovery. That's not okay on day three. It's unacceptable," said Kimberly Brown, Schofield's aunt.
69 News spoke with Brown and Schofield's sister's boyfriend, Austin Corbett, who believe a lot more could be done to find Schofield.
"They don't got enough people out here. As you can see, there's only two boats, there's one boat in the water. There's only two divers, this is not enough people," said Corbett.
"This is a child. His mother cannot sleep at night," said Brown.
Brown even alleged that bias might be involved.
"At the end of the day, if this was a little white girl, the whole town would be out here looking for her," said Brown.
The National Park Service said this is a standard response for a missing person on the river, and said the search team is highly trained and experienced. Crews plan to continue searching the river starting at 8 a.m. Friday.
"We need him home, and we need help," said Brown.
