Coast Guard Searching for 75-Year-Old Fisherman Near Avon

The Coast Guard is searching for 75-year-old Anthony Neri who did not return home from a fishing trip near Avon, North Carolina, Monday.

Neri’s wife notified the Coast Guard that he left for a fishing trip in a 21-foot white Carolina Skiff at approximately 10 a.m. and was scheduled to return around sunset.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina dispatched a search and rescue crew aboard a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet and a search and rescue crew aboard a 29-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet.

Coast Guard Cutter Nathan Bruckenthal, a 154-foot fast-response cutter homeported in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, was diverted and searched throughout the night with the crew of the 47-foot motor lifeboat.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City launched Tuesday morning to conduct aerial search and rescue patterns.

The North Carolina National Park Service is also assisting the Coast Guard in the search.

Anyone with information about Neri’s whereabouts should call the Sector North Carolina Command Center at 910-362-4015.