Police Search Delaware River For Missing Bensalem Man
By Todd Quinones
BENSALEM, Pa., (CBS) -- Rescue teams searched the Delaware River for a missing man in Bucks County Wednesday.
Investigators say the missing man's wife waited nearly a full day before calling police. She apparently incorrectly believed she had to wait 24 hours.
Whether or not that made any difference isn't clear.
On Thursday morning, He's red kayak was located.
On Wednesday evening, emergency crews desperately searched the Delaware River for Xiang He, a husband and father who loved being on the water.
Neighbor A.J. Hedgepeth saw He pull up in his SUV Tuesday afternoon at around 1 p.m.
It's believed He used his red kayak like usual to go from the dock near his home to go out to his sailboat on the river a few yards away.
Hedgepeth was asked how the weather was at the time.
"It wasn't bad at all. The water didn't seem rough or anything," he said.
He, the father of a four-year-old boy, hasn't been seen since.
His wife didn't report him missing until 10 a.m. Wednesday morning due to a wrong assumption.
"She was under the impression she had to wait 24 hours before she had to report it," Bensalem Township Police Sergeant Andrew Aninsman said.
Police say they found items He recently bought on his boat. This tells them He successfully made at least part of the trip.
"We don't know if he made it back to land. He's vehicle was here. We have a strong belief he never made it out of the water, but we're not ruling anything out," Aninsman said.
Police don't suspect foul play.
They think this could've been an accident.
In the meantime, neighbors along River Road in the Torresdale Manor section of Bensalem Township are hoping by some miracle He is found alive.
Police called off the search just before dark Wednesday night.
Their search will resume Thursday morning as a recovery mission weather permitting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bensalem Police Department at 215-633-3719.
