The search continues for a young man, 19, who authorities believe may have fallen off a boat in Lake Washington late Friday after a day of watching Seafair.
The teen, who has not been identified by request of his family, was on the boat with others for much of Friday, watching the Seafair air show and hydroplane races, which began just after noon.
As his boat left the log boom area between Seattle and Mercer Island and got up to planing speed, he told the other passengers he had to use the restroom, according to the Mercer Island Police Department.
When the boat reached the other side of the Interstate 90 floating bridge and slowed, the other passengers noticed he was no longer on board. After searching for him for about five minutes, they called 911 at about 10:40 p.m.
Mercer Island Police Marine Patrol officers responded and began searching using infrared night vision, spotlights and thermal-imaging drones. Other agencies joined in the search, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Seattle Police Harbor Patrol, Clyde Hill Police Department's drone unit, Bellevue Fire Department and Eastside Fire & Rescue.
The search was stopped at about 12:30 a.m. and resumed Saturday morning. The search area was about 10 square miles. At around 10 a.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said it had suspended its active search.
According to Mercer Island Police acting police Chief Jeff Magnan, the investigation continued Saturday, but the teen had yet to be located.
Due to the late hour when it occurred, Magnan said he didn't expect a lot of witnesses other than the boat's other occupants, who have talked with investigators.
As Seafair continued Saturday, Lake Washington remained busy with boaters, and the log booms were again packed with vessels.
In general, Magnan urged boaters to take particular care during Seafair weekend, when Lake Washington is packed with boaters watching the action.
We want to make sure that people are aware of their ability to operate or not operate a boat," he said, adding that a designated boater should always be chosen early. "If they’re going to be operating their vessel at night, do it with care of what other vessels, or debris, are in the water."
Magnan said general boating knowledge has increased over the past decade, but Seafair poses a unique risk.
"The lake is a lot busier than it normally is. It always is for Seafair," Magnan said. "There's always a stockpile of new boaters who have never experienced this. It can be overwhelming.
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