Coast Guard suspends fishermen search

JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) - The Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday night for two missing fishermen on the York River.

The Coast Guard and James City County's police department were searching for two missing boaters--Arthur Brooks, 78, and Al Madison, 63--whose 23-foot boat capsized in the York River near Croaker Landing Thursday morning.

The search started after James City County 911 dispatchers notified the Coast Guard just before 10 a.m., that the boaters were overdue.

Preston Smith, 68, a friend of the two was in a different vessel, he looked back and noticed the boat and the men were gone.

"The last thing we said to each other was we better fish them quick because once the tide changes the water is going to get rough," he said. "I loaded my boat on the trailer and pulled the boat out of the water and looked out there and I couldn't see them anywhere."

Smith went for binoculars, but when still could not see anything, he called for help. He said the two men never carried cell phones, nor wore life jackets while on board.

"Life jackets get in your way they hang up on the nets and everything else."

A Coast Guard helicopter located an overturned vessel in the York River just after 11 a.m. Thursday, in the vicinity where a boat and its crew went missing. The boat was in 12 feet deep water, according to Apperson.

Bob Riles, the District Chief of the James City County Fire Department, said the Coast Guard deployed a rescue swimmer. The swimmer searched the water around and under the vessel but did not find anyone, Riles told WAVY.com.

Crews secured the vessel.

The James City County Fire Department led the search with assistance from the Coast Guard, the Brute Fire Department, boats from Camp Peary and Marine Police Resources.