Police: Search for woman in Pennypack Creek now a recovery effort
NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police say the search for a woman who went missing in the Pennypack Creek on Saturday evening will now be a recovery operation.
Authorities called off the search for Saturday night. They said they will assess conditions in Sunday morning to determine whether they will resume.
The incident was reported just before 6 p.m. Saturday in the area of Ryan and Sandyford avenues in Northeast Philadelphia.
Action News spoke to the neighbor who called 911. He said he was at home when he heard a man screaming for help.
When the neighbor ran out, he found the missing woman's boyfriend standing on Ryan Avenue looking into the water and screaming her name.
The boyfriend told police they were sitting in a storm drain by Roosevelt Boulevard and taking pictures before it happened.
"I was like, 'Are you okay?' and he told me him and his girlfriend were sitting on the ledge of a pipe or something and the water just came rushing down and they both got washed away," a witness told Action News.
Marine unit officials say the water was at least 10 feet deep when the woman was swept away.
The boyfriend was taken to the hospital to be checked out.
One neighbor said the creek is dangerous when it rains.
"It swells up and it gets really bad and it's not something you want to jump into."
The name of the missing woman has not been released.
------
Send a News Tip to Action News
Learn More About 6abc Apps
