Witness describes search efforts for missing swimmer at Beaver Dam in Baltimore County
A man was visiting the Beaver Dam quarry in Baltimore County on Sunday with his family when he said he heard a commotion and then saw a swimmer struggling in the water.
Emergency responders conducted search, rescue, and recovery efforts for a man in his 30s who went underwater and never resurfaced, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department.
Josh Bradds told WJZ he thought about jumping into the water before lifeguards rushed to the water.
"I looked around and I saw four separate lifeguards on their way to him, and I was like, 'OK, he's getting saved,'" Bradds said. "You could even hear the people sigh when she pulled up. "You thought he was going to get saved, and he never came up."
After crews suspended the search on Sunday night and resumed on Monday, the directive has changed to a recovery mission.
Recovery efforts for the missing swimmer will continue on Tuesday.
Witness reacts to Beaver Dam search efforts
A Baltimore County Fire spokesperson said a lifeguard attempted to rescue the man, but lost him in the water.
"Imagine being out having fun and you don't come home with your family," Bradds said.
Several people commented on social media about other drownings in the deep quarry and how dangerous it is to swim there.
The Beaver Dam Swimming Club has seen multiple drownings at its quarry over the last 20 years, with the most recent in 2014.
On Monday, the fire department used divers, handheld sonar, and an underwater robot from Howard County Fire and Rescue to search the quarry.
"There's not many places in Baltimore, especially places where you can dive in deep bodies of water," Bradds said. "You really don't know how to feel. It feels fake. Everybody out there is never going to forget this day. Like we just saw that man disappear."
Bradds told WJZ it's important to stay safe in deep waters.
"Put that vest on. I mean, it's going to change the way I think about that place," Bradds said.
Recovery efforts to continue
Response crews responded around 6 p.m. on Sunday to the 10,000 block of Beaver Dam Road in Cockeysville for reports of a swimmer who had disappeared in the water and was unaccounted for.
Dive crews searched for hours on Sunday before darkness and storms in the area forced it to be suspended. The search efforts resumed on Monday, but after no luck, crews deemed the mission a recovery operation.
The search was suspended on Monday, and it will continue on Tuesday, according to fire officials.