York County, Pa. fisherman drowns in Upper Delaware River

Bringing to a close an 11-day search, the body of a York, Pennsylvania fisherman who drowned in the Upper Delaware River was recovered Monday.

New York State Police identified the victim to be 47-year-old William G. Van Dyke, formerly of Port Jervis. Police located his body via helicopter over New Jersey.

Van Dyke's fishing boat capsized during the early morning hours of Sept. 8 near Cherry Island, opposite Millrift in Pike County, Pa. Another fisherman was able to make it ashore. At around 7:25 a.m., NY State Police as well as fire departments from Sparrowbush, Port Jervis, Matamoras and Swift Water Rescue teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania responded to the area of the Delaware River in Deerpark, NY to help search for Van Dyke.

National Park Service law enforcement rangers from the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River continued to search the Delaware River daily both within the park boundary and south in the river to the 206 bridge in Matamoras.

The obituary for Van Dyke states that he leaves behind a wife and two children. He excelled in athletics at Port Jervis High School and served in the U.S. Army. He later settled in York where he raised his family.

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Life jackets required as Delaware River levels remain high

The National Park Service issued a reminder of the requirement to wear a life jacket when the river level was as high as it was when the angler went missing.

Ingrid Peterec, Chief of Interpretation at the Park Service, Upper Delaware, said that neither of the individuals were wearing life jackets when the incident occurred.

On the morning of Van Dyke's disappearance, the river height was 6.69 feet as measured at the Baryville Gage, and the river's flow was 9,390 cubic feet per second (CFS). When the Delaware River reads over six feet at Barryville, properly fitted life jackets are required for all boaters and fishermen for stretches of the river south of Narrowsburg, the Park Service noted in a release.

For stretches of the river north of Narrowsburg, the Callicoon Gage must read six feet and above.

"River levels are unpredictable. Heavy rainfall can cause the river to rise quickly and with increased river speed. As a reminder, life jackets can’t be secured in boats or used to tie vessels together." the Park Service said.

The USGS provides river conditions for the Delaware River at nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/rt.

The National Park Service reminded everyone that may be out on the Upper Delaware River this fall or winter in a boat, canoe, or kayak that each person, regardless of age, is required to wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket during cold weather months. The Cold Water Life Jacket Wear regulation goes into effect November 1 through the end of April, 2023.

"Remember the life you save may be your own," the Park Service added.

This is the third drowning in the greater Upper Delaware River region this year: One man drowned while attempting to swim on Aug. 10 (just below the Park Service boundary) and another man also trying to swim, on Aug. 27. The second incident marked the 75th drowning on Upper Delaware since 1980― none of the victims were wearing life jackets, according to the National Park Service.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Pennsylvania fisherman drowns on Upper Delaware River