PORT JERVIS – The body of a 34-year-old Orange County man was recovered from the Delaware River at Port Jervis just after 12 noon on Tuesday. The victim was located by water operations teams that had been dispatched less than an hour earlier to assist police in searching for a missing man.
The man had been at West End Beach with two friends early Monday evening. His clothes were found on the beach by the city’s Department of Public Works staff. The friends also reported the victim as missing on Tuesday.
None of the individuals involved reside in Port Jervis, but all live in Orange County communities, according to initial police information.
EMS, police, and firefighters from Port Jervis, Westfall, Matamoras, and Sparrowbush assisted in scouring the area around the beach and on the shores of the river, and boats launched from West End Beach to search along both sides and center of the river. This allowed for a rapid search and recovery in this incident.
Port Jervis Deputy Chief James Rohner noted the clear shallow water as helping experienced divers and boat operators to quickly find the victim.
Names or additional details have not been released pending notification of family and completion of the investigation.
