ORONO, Maine — A massive search-and-rescue effort took place Tuesday night for a man who fell into the Stillwater River and didn’t resurface, according to Sgt. Alan Gillis of the Maine Warden Service.
Mohammad T. Jamal, 37, from Massachusetts was in a kayak with a 7-year-old girl, who was wearing a life jacket, when the vessel capsized and both went into the water. She was able to make it near the shore, where she was rescued by an Orono firefighter who waded into the river to get her, Gillis said.
“Mohammad was seen going under the water and has not been seen since,” the sergeant said.
Two boats and an airplane were participating in the search on the waterway.
Jamal’s wife and girl’s mother both were watching from the shoreline and immediately called 911 after seeing the kayak capsize. The call for help was made at 6:41 p.m.
“At this point it’s a recovery,” Gillis said shortly after 9 p.m., adding that the department’s remotely operated vehicle would be used to search after two Maine State Police divers left the water. “We’re going to continue dive operations as long as they seem prudent,” he said.
If the remote-controlled search device is not able to find Jamal, the state police dive team will return Wednesday morning, Gillis said.
Orono police and fire departments were joined by University of Maine public safety, Old Town Fire and Rescue, Maine State Police and Maine Warden Service personnel, and volunteers from Down East Emergency Management Institute, who also searched along both sides of the river near the parking lot of the University of Maine’s steam plant.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to remind people it’s extremely important to wear a life jacket whenever you are in a watercraft,” Gillis said. “A life jacket no question saved that little girl’s life. She told the fireman she could not swim.”