PHOENIX — Rescue crews are searching for two men who are presumed to have gone under in the Salt River near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road, a spokesman with the Phoenix Fire Department said.
The missing men have been identified as 38-year-old Ryan Jacobs and 38-year-old Shane Coates.
Police said they went to go kayaking near 7th Street and Broadway Road. Family said the pair planned to finish at 91st Avenue, but around 10 a.m., a witness called 911, reporting two men in the water at 19th Avenue. First responders found two life jackets and a boogie board in the river.
Fire crews showed up to help with the search, but the dangerous water conditions have made it difficult to find the men.
“There are two life vests floating near the surfboard, so potentially those life vests could have been sucked off of the two potential victims," said Phoenix Fire Captain Scott Douglas.
“There are multiple underwater currents that can trap people as well as debris and air pockets which make life preservers, the PFDs, ineffective," Douglas added.
Family and friends are doing everything possible to help find the missing men.
“I know the family is just torn, so I’m just here kind of help them try to get the closure on it because they’re missing their loved ones," said Jacobs' friend Richard Cotter. "We’ll just go back and forth until something comes up.”
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