BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The search for a missing Olivet man who fell into the Kalamazoo River this week has been suspended.
Authorities say that the 19-year-old fell into the water around 7 p.m. on Monday in Battle Creek after he tried to retrieve his friend’s purse from the water.
Witnesses say the man was carried under by the current and was unable to get out. Two friends of the individual tried to rescue him from the swift-moving river but with no luck.
Search crews have been looking in the area around Hamblin Avenue for the past few days, not far from where the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers meet.
On Monday police involved in the search said that the man is unlikely to have survived, and are concentrating on recovery.
The search has since been suspended but crews will continue to monitor the area by boat over the next few weeks.
