Portland Man Swept From Jetty at Newport Remains Missing

Search suspended for man near Newport Jetty.

File photo by Tim King Salem-News.com

(NEWPORT, Ore.) - Coast Guard officials say the search for a 23-year old man who was swept from a jetty near Newport, Oregon, was suspended at 5:47 PM Sunday.

Members of the Coast Guard, Oregon State Police and Newport Fire Department scoured the area by foot, boat and helicopter for six hours before suspending the search.

"Searchers looked for this man longer than the estimated survivability time," said Jeff Griffin, a watchstander at the Coast Guard Command Center in Seattle.

He says the missing man and a friend were knocked into the water by a wave while both were out on the jetty.

The man's friend made it back to shore and waved down a Coast Guard motor lifeboat crew from Station Yaquina Bay who immediately began to search, Griffin said.

Searchers later found a white hoodie matching the description of one worn by the missing man but no other sign of him. Both men are from the Portland area and were camping in the area with their girlfriends.

Signs posted at the entrance to the jetty warn of the dangers of creeping waves.