NC Swimmer Who Disappeared In The Hudson River During A Competition Identified As Retired UNC Chapel Hill Professor And Doctor Charles Van Der Horst

A retired University of Chapel Hill professor and doctor has been identified as the Hudson River swimmer that’s gone missing. Dr. Charles Van der Horst, a 67-Year Old HIV research doctor from North Carolina, apparently did not resurface after going underwater during a long distance swimming competition on June 14th, 2019.

The contest was the 8 Bridges Hudson River swimming competition that covers 120 miles over seven days. According to ABC news, “The swimmer disappeared in the vicinity of the George Washington Bridge, according to the U.S. Coast Guard”. Unfortunately, the search turned into a recovery effort.

Here is more on the story:

The stage Friday was to take swimmers from the Tappan Zee Bridge, renamed the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge, in Tarrytown, New York, to the George Washington Bridge in the Bronx, according to New York Open Water, which organized the competition. The stage was 15.7 miles long.

The swimmer disappeared in the vicinity of the George Washington Bridge, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. 

“On behalf of New York Open Water, it is with great sadness that we report the loss of a swimmer today on Stage 6 of the 8 Bridges Open Water Swim,” the organizers said in a statement. “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the swimmer’s family and in respect for their privacy, we are declining to name the swimmer at this time.”

Updated: Swimmer has been identified as Charles Van der Horst of Chapel Hill, NC.

A safety supervisor was monitoring the swimmers at the time of his disappearance, organizers said.

“We can confirm that all swimmer safety protocols were in place and that the NYPD was escorting the field,” organizers said. “We will continue to work closely with the authorities and will provide updates as they become available.”

The man’s body had not been recovered as of early Saturday.

This is such an unfortunate situation. Let’s pray for the safety of all the swimmers in these type of contests and also pray for the Charles’ family as they go through this difficult time.