PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a boater who went missing off the coast of Port Richey.
What You Need To Know
- The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a boater who went missing off the coast of Port Richey
- According to the Coast Guard, Andre Nolasco, 57, had been missing since Sunday morning
- Nolasco was last seen taking his boat out from Nick’s Park in Port Richey
- Port Richey Police spent much of the day searching the surrounding coast lines but didn’t find Nolasco
Andre Nolasco, 57, was first reported missing by his girlfriend on Monday. He was last seen leaving Nick’s Park boat ramp on Sunday.
The Coast Guard eventually found his boat off the coast of Hudson, but Nolasco was not on board.
Rescue crews searched approximately 1,514 square miles over three days
Over the weekend, Edmer Merejo, who’s known Nolasco for almost 10 years, got a call from a friend who spoke with Nolasco’s girlfriend saying she hadn’t been able to get ahold of Nolasco since he launched his boat from Nick’s Park.
In response, Merejo drove to Nick’s Park and found his friend’s car but didn’t find Nolasco.
“That’s where everything started,” Merejo said.
He says that he, Nolasco’s friends, family, and law enforcement were searching for Nolasco.
The Coast Guard said that Nolasco left Nick’s Park in Port Richey on Sunday morning to go out into the water on his boat.
When the search for Nolasco began, they eventually found his boat about eight miles off the coast of Hudson, but Nolasco was not inside.
Spectrum Bay News 9 spoke with a captain with Port Richey Police who said he searched the entire coastline around the area but didn’t have any luck locating Nolasco.
Those who have any information on the whereabouts of Nolasco can contact the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command center at 727-824-7506.
