A 65-year-old waterman is missing on the water out of Deal Island, and police are asking anyone with information to please come forward.
Gregg Allan Thomas, 65, is a commercial waterman from Princess Anne. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police (NRP) tells us that Thomas didn’t return home the afternoon of Monday, Dec. 1, after working in the area of Deal Island. Shortly after he was reported overdue, his boat was found running with no one on board, the engine still in gear.
NRP, the Coast Guard, and several emergency rescue agencies launched a search. NRP says officers have been conducting surface and sonar search operations, but bad weather hampered those efforts Tuesday afternoon. They were set to resume the search at first light on Wednesday. NRP and the Coast Guard are jointly investigating the incident.
As the heartbreaking search continues for this latest missing boater, NRP and the fishing community continue to search for Lonnie “LJ” Johnson, charter operator and owner of a popular fishing tackle company who disappeared from his boat Thursday, Nov. 13. While hope of finding Johnson alive faded after the first couple of days, the tight-knit Bay boating industry hopes Johnson’s body can be recovered to bring closure to his family.
NRP says the search for Johnson is still on as of Tuesday. Rescue crews continue to log long hours on boats and helicopters, looking for two men who made their living on the water. Chesapeake Bay Magazine will share any updates we receive on either search.
