BUFFALO, NY — Pending any new developments, the Coast Guard plans to end its search at sunset Thursday for the man who has been missing since he departed for a fishing trip in eastern Lake Erie Tuesday.
Missing is 37-year-old Giusseppe Reinhart from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
“Due to the amount of time that has passed since the man departed on his fishing trip and the ideal search conditions our crews experienced over the course of our searches, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue search efforts at sunset pending any new developments," said Cmdr. Tad Drozdowski, Coast Guard Sector Buffalo chief of response. "Our deepest condolences go to the Reinhart family and all those affected. More than 50 people from across the Coast Guard and other Canadian, federal, state and local partners searched thousands of miles with hope of bringing Mr. Reinhart home to his loved ones.”
As of mid day Thursday, Coast Guard search crews completed 65 search patterns covering 5,364 square nautical miles. The search area covered the entire eastern portion of Lake Erie from Dunkirk, New York on the U.S. side to Port Colborne, Ontario, on the Canadian side and a large portion of the Niagara River. Responders will continue searching for Reinhart until sundown.
At approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday, watch standers at the Coast Guard Sector Buffalo command center received a report of an unmanned vessel washed ashore near Hamburg, New York.
Using the boat identification numbers, personal effects onboard and by reaching out to the family, watch standers confirmed the vessel belongs to Reinhart, who had left on a solo fishing trip Tuesday morning.
The following search-and-rescue crews assisted with the search:
- Coast Guard Station Buffalo 25-foot and 45-foot response boats
- Coast Guard Auxiliary boats
- Coast Guard Air Station Detroit and Air Facility Muskegon, Michigan, MH-65C Dolphin helicopters
- Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts, HC-144 airplane
- Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City HC-130 airplane
- Canadian Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton, Ontario, tasked CC-130 airplane
- Canadian Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton, Ontario, tasked Griffin helicopter
- Erie County Sheriff’s Office helicopter
- Niagara County Marine Unit boat and helicopter
- Hamburg Police Department boat
- Fish and Wildlife Hamburg boat
- Customs and Border Protection boat and helicopter
Questions about the U.S. Coast Guard's search efforts should be directed to the Sector Buffalo public affairs office at 716-843-9529.