NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — The search and rescue operations for a person reported missing in the Niagara River is now over.
Around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Buffalo Police divers pulled a body from the river.
North Tonawanda Fire Chief Joe Sikora told 2 On Your Side that it is the body of the man that went missing Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday, two friends went swimming, one came out of the water, but a man in his twenties did not.
"He was swimming with a friend, the friend is out of the water," Sikora said. "We’ve talked to him, we've had eye witnesses that saw the male in the water, heard him yell out for what we think was help."
Skiora said that part of the Niagara River is dangerous for swimmers.
"You should not be swimming here at all," he said.
The Coast Guard says the call came in around 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for the area around Smith Boys Marine and Tonawanda Island. Several agencies, including an aircraft from Air Station Detroit, took part in the search. It was called off Tuesday night when it got too dark, divers resumed the recovery mission at 8 Wednesday morning.
Sikora said calls like these are tough on first responders.
"It’s extremely difficult any time you are looking for somebody and our big concern at this point is for the family, to give them closure," he said.