Emergency officials suspend search for missing Connellsville man
Zach Petroff
The search for a Connellsville man who went missing while fishing on the Youghiogheny River Tuesday night was suspended, according to area emergency officials.
The decision to end the two-day search for 55-year-old Jerry Grimm came as a result of ongoing dangerous river conditions, Connellsville Police Sgt. Bryan Kendi said Thursday.
“Unfortunately, emergency crews searched all day into the night but were unable to locate him due to river conditions and the circumstances leading up to the disappearance. At this point, all river rescue agencies have come together, and after exhausting all resources, we have to wait for the natural ebb and flow of the river to reveal his location,” Kendi said.
Kristie Grimm of Connellsville said her husband left around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to fish near Martucci Funeral Home on South First Street. Fayette County emergency dispatch received a call around 9 p.m. reporting him missing.
Kendi said eight agencies and more than 100 first responders, including over 30 divers, gathered at Yough River Park on Wednesday to search for the fisherman.
Emergency crews worked tirelessly from sun-up to sun-down and navigated dangerous river conditions, he said, which continued to get worse throughout the day on Wednesday.
“Starting Wednesday morning, the current and the depth kept increasing which made it much harder for guys to conduct the search,” he said.
Jerry Grimm’s wife, Kristie, and his two daughters, Kolby and Kodi, said Wednesday that it was hard to believe that Jerry went missing in the river, given his familiarity with the area.
Kodi said, “He grew up on this river, he knew this river. He taught us how to swim in this river.”
Kendi said officials are in “wait-and-see mode.”
“If we get a sighting along the river or if another community finds something, we can respond and search that area,” he said.
Kristie Grimm, who has been married to Jerry for nearly 40 years, said on Wednesday she believes her husband is deceased and hopes his body is recovered so her family can find peace.
“He would have walked home last night, he had to work. He would have walked home,” she said.