Teen vanishes while fishing in bad weather along Texas Gulf coast, officials say
.png "The teen was last seen fishing by the San Luis Pass Bridge, according to Coast Guard officials.")
UPDATE: Search crews found the teenager’s body around 5:25 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, according to the Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard helicopter spotted his body “in the middle of San Luis Pass” and a boat crew recovered him. First responders were waiting at the shore along with the teen’s family.
“San Luis Pass is an incredibly hazardous area for wade fishing and swimming due to strong tidal currents and rapidly changing water depth, especially at night,” Coast Guard Capt. Keith Donohue said. “It is heartbreaking that a fishing trip with friends and family ended this way. We offer this young man’s family our deepest condolences for their unimaginable loss.”
The original story continues below:
A Texas teenager vanished while fishing in the waters near Galveston on Saturday, April 30, and authorities are searching for him.
The 17-year-old was last seen wade fishing at the San Luis Pass Bridge, roughly 25 miles southwest of Galveston, according to Coast Guard officials. He is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and was wearing blue shorts and no shirt.
Galveston police reported the disappearance to the Coast Guard at 8:37 p.m. and an “urgent” search was launched, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard rescued four other people the same night off the coast of Galveston — around 8:15 p.m. — after a boat slammed against a jetty, a release said. Bad weather was to blame.
“We can’t overemphasize the importance of checking the weather before getting underway,” Lt. Chellsey Phillips Canlas said.
Weather conditions were similarly rough near the San Luis Pass Bridge, where the missing teen was fishing when he disappeared, fisherman Bobby Hall told TV station KTRK.
“It was very dangerous. I was going to kayak some baits out, but I decided it was potentially not very safe to be out in the water. So, I put my waders on and I felt the current. It was pulling me one way,” Hall said.
Anyone with information about the missing teen is asked to contact Coast Guard officials at 281-464-4851.
This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 11:19 AM with the headline "Teen vanishes while fishing in bad weather along Texas Gulf coast, officials say."