Search called off for missing boater on Lake Tahoe

Editor's note: This story has been changed to reflect the boater went missing on Monday, not Sunday as originally reported.

The search for a 29-year-old New Jersey man who went missing during a boating trip on Lake Tahoe Monday afternoon has been suspended by the U.S. Coast Guard Station on Tahoe, according to a news release.

The search involved game wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife, along with boats from several other agencies including the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Around 6 p.m. on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard Station on Lake Tahoe received a notification of a boat spotted drifting in the vicinity of Glenbrook near the east shore of the lake.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Department reported that the vessel had been rented by Ryan Normoyle of Closter, New Jersey, at 11 a.m. that morning and was scheduled to return at 1 p.m.

Multiple agencies searched the area Monday afternoon and all-day Tuesday but were unable to locate Normoyle.

“At this point the search shifts from search and rescue to a recovery,” said Game Warden Capt. Brian Bowles. “Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time.”

Authorities are still trying to determine how Normoyle became separated from his boat.

“We don’t know if he left the boat to go for a swim or was somehow ejected from the boat,” said Bowles. “Tragedies like this are why we always recommend never boating alone and wearing a life jacket whenever you’re out on the water. You just never know what can happen.”