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LEHMAN TWP. — Emergency crews searched an 8-mile area around Lake Silkworth for hours Friday after a Nanticoke man seemingly vanished Thursday night.
Officials say Adam Lutz, 22, went missing around 11 p.m. Thursday in the area of the Outpost Inn, a bar across the street from Lake Silkworth.
Crews searched the area around the lake until around 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to Lake Silkworth Fire Chief Jerry Walker.
Walker said the search resumed Friday afternoon when pressure mounted from Lutz’s family to continue searching for him.
Numerous municipalities sent crews to help scour the area for Lutz, including Back Mountain Regional EMS, Sweet Valley and Shickshinny. Water rescue teams were sent from Harveys Lake and Duryea, and a State Police helicopter was also requested.
Despite all the help, Walker acknowledged the search would be difficult.
“It’s like finding a needle in a haystack,” he said.
With frigid temperatures and the sun setting, officials decided to send the water rescue teams back to their home municipalities around 6 p.m., with their boats never having been launched on Lake Silkworth.
However, Walker said the search on land would continue late into the night. That search continued on land as far away as Plymouth Township.
Walker said Lutz was unfamiliar with the area around Lake Silkworth.
When he was last seen, he was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.
Walker was unable to say for sure if alcohol was involved in his disappearance. He said police were examining surveillance footage taken near the bar for any clues.
