Search called off for missing boater on Lake Tahoe
The search for a 29-year-old New Jersey man who went missing during a boating trip Monday on Lake Tahoe has been suspended by the US Coast Guard Station on Tahoe.
The search involved game Wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, along with boats from several other agencies including the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the US Coast Guard.
Around 6 p.m. on Monday, the US Coast Guard Station on Lake Tahoe received a notification of a boat spotted drifting in the vicinity of Glenbrook, Nevada near the east shore of the lake. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department reported that the vessel had been rented by Ryan Normoyle of Closter, New Jersey at 11 a.m. that morning and was scheduled to return at 1 p.m.
Multiple agencies searched the area all-day Monday but were unable to locate Normoyle.
“At this point the search shifts from search and rescue to a recovery,” said Game Warden Captain Brian Bowles. “Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.”
Authorities are still trying to determine how Normoyle became separated from his boat. “We don’t know if he left the boat to go for a swim or was somehow ejected from the boat,” said Bowles. “Tragedies like this are why we always recommend never boating alone and wearing a life jacket whenever you’re out on the water. You just never know what can happen.”