ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Agents assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Rochester Marine Unit joined a combined local law enforcement team to recover a vehicle found in the Genesee River. The vehicle and occupants, who were reported missing since January 31, were recovered.
The search began on February 14, near a private boat launch site on the Genesee River, about a mile south of Lake Ontario. Marine Interdiction Agents worked with Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies and divers, along with a Rochester Police Department SCUBA unit, to search for the missing vehicle. The vehicle and occupants were found early on February 15.
“The search was conducted under difficult conditions,” said Supervisory Marine Interdiction Agent Joe Saville. “Underwater visibility was less than four-inches in the search area. A towed SONAR unit from the Monroe County Sheriff’s office finally revealed the location of the vehicle on the river bottom under approximately 20 feet of water,” said Saville. An Air and Marine Operations 33-foot SAFE boat was used in the multi-agency search.
Local law enforcement officials continue to investigate the possible causes of the incident.