Body found May 2nd. Selfie shows PFD. Probably came off.
Search continues for missing fisherman along Schuylkill River in Bridgeport
By Maggie Kent ABC 5
Wenesday, May 1, 2024
Search continues for missing fisherman along Schuylkill River in Bridgeport
BRIDGEPORT, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The search continues along the Schuylkill River in Bridgeport, Montgomery County, for a fisherman who has been missing since Monday.
Pennsylvania state police conducted an aerial search of the river near the Upper Merion Boathouse for 69-year-old Tony Luongo on Wednesday. Friends gathered along the riverbanks hoping for some news. That includes Luongo's neighbor, Don Wallace, who reported Luongo missing on Monday afternoon.
He told Action News he knew something was wrong around 4 p.m. that day. "He comes home to let the dog out. No matter where he is fishing, he's always coming home," Wallace said. Friends showed us a photo of Luongo on his kayak, which he shared on social media the morning he went missing.
Police and other rescue crews searched the water on Tuesday afternoon and into the evening, and were able to recover Loungo's kayak and tackle box near the dam. "I hope they find him. I hope he's on the side of the bank somewhere waiting for help," said friend Tom Jacquot.
Police say they are hopeful the helicopter search can point them in the direction to conduct additional ground and water searches.
Rescue teams are still searching for a kayaker who has been missing on the Schuylkill since Monday.
A man identified as 70-year-old Tony Luongo launched his kayak from the Upper Merion Township boathouse for a fishing trip Monday and has not returned, authorities said.
Luongo was last seen at 12:40 p.m. that day, when he posted a selfie to Instagram of himself kayaking upstream from the boathouse, Upper Merion Township police said. An hour and 20 minutes later, Upper Merion police received a phone call from a resident who heard a “male calling for help” near a wooded area close to the Schuylkill.
Luongo lived a little more than a mile from the boathouse, police said, and officers did not find anyone in need of help.
“Nothing out of the ordinary was reported by any of the crew members at that time,” police said in a news release.
Don Wallace had reported his friend missing to West Norriton police at 4 p.m. Monday after Luongo didn’t come home to check on his dog, 6ABC reported. Luongo and Wallace both live in Norristown.
“Tony is like clockwork,” Tom Jacquot, another friend of Luongo’s, told NBC10. “He goes out and comes home at a certain time. Takes care of the animals.”
Upper Merion police said they discovered Luongo’s Toyota RAV4 at the boathouse Tuesday, prompting Montgomery County emergency services to began searching the river with boats and drones. Crews recovered Luongo’s kayak at the base of a dam near the middle of the river, police said, at 4 p.m. Tuesday. About 1,000 feet upstream, other items associated with Luongo were found in a downed tree.
High school rowers also discovered an orange flotation device in the Schuylkill near the boathouse while practicing on Monday, Upper Merion Township Police Chief Thomas Nolan told 6ABC.
“They assumed it had fallen off a boat,” Nolan said.
Pennsylvania State Police conducted an aerial search of the river near the boathouse on Wednesday, according to 6ABC. The search was to continue Thursday.
Police said Luongo was last seen wearing a gray hat; light colored, possibly blue, shirt, and gray shorts. Upper Merion police are asking those with information about Luongo’s whereabouts to call 610-265-3232.
