Search Called Off For Missing SMC Boater As Other Victim Is ID'd

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Though the search continued much of Monday for a missing boater off the coast of San Mateo County, Coast Guard officials say the man was not found before the operation was suspended. Meanwhile, a person who was on that same boat — who has already been found — was confirmed dead and identified as a Bay Area resident.

The San Mateo County coroner's office says 74-year-old Dung Duc Nguyen was found Sunday afternoon south of Pillar Point Harbor near a spinning boat in the water. He lived in Fremont.

Nguyen was one of two people believed to be on board the 17-foot vessel which was discovered "unmanned and adrift," according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Harbor personnel notified the Coast Guard around 1 p.m. about the boat that was found about 8 miles south of the harbor.

"A Pillar Point Harbor member found one boater unresponsive near the adrift vessel, which was reported to have two people aboard, including Tran, earlier in the day," the Coast Guard said in a news release.

A Coast Guard cutter searched through the night Sunday into Monday and a helicopter crew joined the search at first light Monday morning for Tuan "Tom" Tran, who was believed to be the other person aboard the boat, Coast Guard officials said. That search was suspended midday Monday, according to the Coast Guard.

The boat was recovered but Tran remains missing. Anyone with information about his hereabouts is asked to call Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders at (415) 399-3451.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone