Man Swept Off Sandbar at Silver Sands in Milford Presumed Dead

A 28-year-old man who went missing after a wave swept him off a sandbar and into Long Island Sound in Milford Friday is presumed dead.

Police have identified the man as 28-year-old George Swaby of Bridgeport.

Swaby remains missing. Teams searched for hours Friday before being called off, and the search resumed Saturday morning. On Saturday evening the Milford Fire Department announced that crews had to suspend search efforts after searching by marine and airborne units, as well as using sonar technology.

Police said that Swaby and another man rode their bikes to the beach from Stratford and were on a sandbar at Silver Sands when a wave pulled them into the Sound.

The incident happened around 12:45 p.m. on Friday. The U.S. Coast Guard and a helicopter were called in to assist in searching the water. 

People in a private boat rescued one man but Swaby went under. He is presumed dead and crews are looking to recover his body, officials said Friday.

Officials from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) said the incident took place outside the designated swimming areas so there would have been no life guards around.

It is posted that there were no life guards around these areas, DEEP said.

In addition, DEEP said there were no life guards on duty today even at the designated swimming areas because the department has been having issues recruiting enough guards. While they have the money to hire, they can't find people who are correctly certified. 

(Correction: July 21 2:43 p.m.: Fire officials initially said the rescued man was wearing a life jacket. Police later said that was not the case.)

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