Search Suspended For Missing Boat Technician Near Curtis Creek

BALTIMORE — Authorities say they have suspended the search for a boat technician who disappeared near Curtis Bay Saturday morning. He was working on a vessel at Jaws Marine boat shop when he was last seen, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Allen Van Dyke is the missing man, officials said. He is a technician at Jaws Marine, where he was working on a boat around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 29. Officials said he was wearing dark clothing at the time.

The search began when Maryland Natural Resources Police personnel found the boat he had been working on — a 25-foot vessel that did not have anyone aboard — and notified the U.S. Coast Guard around 10:15 a.m. Officials said the boat was found in Curtis Creek, less than a mile from Jaws Marine boat shop.

A helicopter and boat searched for the missing man. The 45-foot response boat hailed from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay in Baltimore, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew also assisted with the search, coming from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey. They searched 53 square miles in 28 hours and suspended the search at 6:28 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, the Coast Guard reported. These agencies were also involved in the search: Maryland Natural Resources Police, Baltimore City Fire Department and Maryland State Police.

"We worked extremely closely with our remarkable state and local partners to do everything we could to return Mr. Van Dyke to his family," Capt. Joseph Loring, commander of the Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, said in a statement. "Despite the extensive search effort, we were unable to locate him. Our hearts go out to Mr. Van Dyke’s loved ones."

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Coast Guard MNCR command center on VHF-FM channel 16 or the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Baltimore at 410-576-2693.