Pennsylvania

Missing kayaker's body recovered in the Schuylkill River

Tony Luongo went missing in the Schuylkill River near the Upper Merion Boathouse on Monday, April 29, police said

NBC Universal, Inc.

The body of a man who went missing while fishing and kayaking in the Schuylkill River was recovered on Thursday in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania.

Upper Merion police said his body was recovered in the river in Upper Merion Township at 5:50 p.m.

Léelo en español aquí

Investigators said the man -- identified by friends as 70-year-old Tony Luongo -- traveled to the Upper Merion Township boathouse on 400 Falls View Drive on Monday, April 29, to launch his kayak and go fishing.

Luongo posted a selfie photo on his social media account around 12:40 p.m. Monday while traveling upstream from the boathouse, according to investigators.

Around 2 p.m. that day, Upper Merion Police received a call from a resident who lives about 1.1 miles upstream from the boathouse. The resident said he heard a man calling for help in the area of the woods and Schuylkill River between 1:50 p.m. and 1:55 p.m.

L to R: A photo of Tony Luongo, search and rescue teams in the Schuylkill River

Upper Merion Police responded to the wooded area but couldn't find or locate anyone. Around 4 p.m. that day, the Upper Merion Crew Team launched their boats from the boathouse and traveled upstream. They did not observe anything out of the ordinary at the time, however.

On Tuesday, April 30, around 2:15 p.m., West Norriton Police contacted Upper Merion Police after Luongo's friends reported him missing.

"Tony's like clockwork," Tom Jacquot, a friend of Luongo's, told NBC10. "He goes out and comes home at a certain time. Takes care of the animals. Well, Monday night he didn't come home at four o'clock."

Upper Merion police officers then located Luongo's Toyota RAV4 at the boathouse. Police officers, firefighters and other county emergency servicemembers began searching along the river banks while multiple boats and drones searched areas above and below the dam.

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, Luongo's kayak was found at the base of the dam, near the middle of the river. More of his items were found in a downed tree about 1,000 feet upstream from the boathouse.

Police said Luongo was last seen wearing a grey hat, a light-colored and possibly blue shirt and grey shorts. He was also wearing a bright orange personal floatation device, investigators said.

Contact Us