BUSHKILL, Pa. – The body of a man who went missing in the Delaware River on Tuesday has been found.
A park visitor found the body of 23-year-old Christopher Schofield around 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Officials said the body was recovered from the waters of the river near Kittatinny Point within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Schofield, of Stroudsburg, was last seen at around 8 p.m. Tuesday when he went into the water, attempting to swim across the Delaware River from Prices Landing, near Minisink Hills, to the New Jersey shoreline with two other people.
He struggled in the current before going under the water, according to a news release from the National Park Service. The two other swimmers made it to the shore and were rescued by volunteer crews with Portland Hook and Ladder Company. None of the three swimmers were wearing life jackets.
Schofield's body was found in the water about 1,000 feet upstream from Kittatinny Point, about 1.5 miles downstream from where he was last seen.
The National Park Service said search crews, including numerous volunteers, scoured the area on land and water — both above and below the surface — for more than four days. They used a variety of resources and equipment, including boats, drones, SCUBA divers and side-scan sonar, and trained search dogs.
By Thursday, the National Park Service said the search and rescue had turned into a recovery effort, as it did not expect to find Schofield alive.
"The Delaware River may look calm but it has a swift current, steep drop-offs, sudden changes in depth, and underwater obstacles and hazards," the National Park Service cautioned. "Wearing a properly fitted and fastened life jacket is the number one thing that one can do to stay safe around the river."
A GoFundMe has been organized to help with funeral expenses.
