Missing jet-skier identified; search to resume Tuesday morning

EASTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The jet-skier who went missing over the weekend has been identified as 51-year-old Carlos Lopez.

The search for Lopez will resume today.

The Route 5 boat ramp in Easthampton was closed Monday as police search the Connecticut River for a missing jet skier.

According to Massachusetts State Police, they had units conducting a water search in the Connecticut River for a jet skier who went missing following a boating crash in Northampton around 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Police said that two occupants of the boat were rescued by Massachusetts Environmental Police and transported by boat to the state boat ramp along Route 5 before being sent to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

Teams from State Police, Environmental Police, and local agencies searched the river until just before midnight Sunday and did not locate the missing jet ski operator. The search resumed on Monday with crews utilizing side-scan sonar equipment, which feeds a sonar image of the water column and river bottom back to a monitor on the boats. Police said that if any anomalies or objects are detected by the sonar, divers will enter the water to investigate further.

State Police believe the jet ski operator is a 51-year-old male, but final confirmation has not been made.

The search concluded around 6 p.m. Monday with State Police saying they have come up with negative results thus far. The search is set to resume on Tuesday.

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