Crews search Delaware River for missing swimmer as efforts end for Philly teen who disappeared at Jersey Shore

Officials are search for a man who jumped into the Delaware River early Friday morning, but have shifted the focus to a recovery effort.

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The search is taking place off Pleasant Hill Park in Philadelphia’s Torresdale section.

Officials told reporters about 20 people went out on the river on boats around 1 a.m., and at some point two jumped in for an evening swim. One wasn’t able to get back to the boat.

Police have not confirmed the missing man’s identity, but friends at the scene identified him as a popular Philadelphia barber.

“He swam out of the boat with my other friend and the last word he told my friend, ‘Hey, I can’t no more, I love you,’” a friend told reporters. “That breaks my heart because the last word he said is ‘I can’t swim anymore and I love you.’”

The search was ongoing Friday morning, a combined effort between Philadelphia police officers, the Coast Guard, and New Jersey State Police.

Over in Wildwood, officials called off the search for Davoris Carter III, a Philadelphia teenager who went missing after entering the Atlantic Ocean.

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Carter, 14, a student at Delta School in Philadelphia, was on a class trip when he went missing during a class trip Monday afternoon.

According to Wildwood officials, three other swimmers were helped out of the water by police when emergency crews arrived. One of the swimmers was taken to Cooper University Cape Regional Hospital, while the other two were treated at the beach.

There were no lifeguards present at the beach when the students entered the ocean. Steve Mikulski, Wildwood’s deputy mayor and its commissioner of public safety, said in a statement lifeguards are only stationed at designated beaches on weekends through June 16, when the full beach season kicks off.

Officials at the school could not immediately be reached for comment Friday morning.

“My son went somewhere with a school. With chaperones. And these so-called chaperones, at this time, with special needs children, should’ve been paying attention,” Davoris’ father, whose name is also Davoris Carter, told NBC10. “My son should not have been in that water, or them kids, without supervision.”

“This tragedy has impacted everyone who has heard this story,” Mikulski said. “Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and all those affected.”

While the search has been called off, the incident remains an active investigation.

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