Authorities have suspended their search for a 20-year-old man who went missing in the waters off Newport’s Ocean Drive near 12 O’Clock High on Sunday evening. The search and rescue operation, involving multiple agencies, will resume as a recovery effort at sunrise on Monday.
The young man disappeared just after 5 p.m., prompting a large-scale response from Newport, Middletown, and Jamestown authorities, along with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the U.S. Coast Guard. The coordinated effort saw helicopters, boats, and rescue swimmers scouring the area in hopes of locating the missing swimmer.
Despite their extensive efforts, authorities were unable to locate the man before nightfall. Given the challenging conditions and fading daylight, the decision was made to suspend the search for the evening.
UPDATE: After an extensive search on Monday, the Coast Guard has called off the search.
The Rhode Island DEM has identified the missing man as 20-year-old Dexter Gutierrez Matias of East Providence.
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