EAST PENN TWP., Pa. – It was a heartbreaking end to a search involving a missing rafter in Carbon County after a school field trip.
A 12-year-old boy died after the raft he was on capsized in the Lehigh River near the D&L Trail in East Penn Township on Wednesday.
The Carbon County Coroner’s Office identified the boy as Cesar Guncay, from Sag Harbor, New York.
An autopsy showed his cause of death was drowning and his death was ruled an accident, the coroner said.
The boy was a sixth-grade student at Sag Harbor School District in New York, visiting the Poconos on its annual class trip.
The boy was one of five people on an inflatable raft that was part of a larger whitewater rafting group trip accompanied by a river guide, the coroner’s office said.
The raft flipped around 5:30 p.m., causing all five to be thrown into the river. All but one of the students resurfaced, leading to search and rescue operations to find the missing boy.
The boy was removed from the water and pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.
Jeff Nichols, the superintendent of Sag Harbor school district, sent 69 News a statement reading in part:
“There are no words to adequately express the depth of this loss. He was a cherished member of our school family, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him. His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways, and our lives.”
A GoFundMe was set up to help support the student’s family.
The company that was running the trip, Whitewater Rafting Adventures, also issued a statement, saying, in part, “Our entire team is heartbroken by what occurred, and our first concern is for the family and friends of our guest.”
The statement continues, “[Our] team is still gathering information about the incident, and that they are cooperating fully with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which is leading the investigation, along with support from the Pennsylvania State Police.”
James Berros, a former whitewater guide in the Poconos, says hearing about the accident is unsettling both as someone who worked in the field and a parent.
“I have three boys… your heart sinks. You don’t like it. You want to know what’s going on,” he said. “You want to know if the river crew did their job correctly, you want to know everything from a, b, c all the way down through z was done, but unfortunately you can’t control that.”
He says the number one thing to keep in mind when near a river is to know your surroundings and be aware of any hazards under the water.
“From railroad to fishing hooks to glass… All types of stuff, you just have to understand where you’re at. If you’re in the river, my biggest suggestion is to really know your PFD, your lifejacket,” Berros explained.
The coroner’s office, along with the PA Fish and Boat Commission, continues to actively investigate the rafting accident.
