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 HURON, Ohio (AP) _ Rescuers and families gathered idly on the beach as high winds and rough waves forced divers to suspend their search Thursday for four men believed to have drowned in 5-foot Lake Erie waves as they tried to rescue a woman engaged to one of them. Search boats and divers were pulled out of the water after two hours of searching Thursday morning, and a coast guard helicopter was called off a few hours later. The four men were swimming at a public beach Wednesday with Amy Renee Anderson, 22, of Findlay, and tried to help her when waves knocked her down, Huron Fire Chief John Zimmerman said. Two firefighters trying to rescue Anderson were overcome by the current while trying to save Anderson. Firefighters used a boat to rescue the three. The city last week started a new program to warn swimmers about dangerous currents that can pull someone far from shore. Nickel Plate beach, which has no lifeguards, was closed for swimming Wednesday morning but people were allowed to sunbathe and picnic, City Manager Mike Tann said. The missing were identified Thursday as Jarred Smith, 18, of nearby Sandusky; Kyle Kroetz, 29, and Matthew Smith, 21, both of Findlay; and Steve Cupec, 27. Matthew and Jarred Smith are not related. Fire officials said Cupec is from Karns City, Pa., but his stepmother, Pamela Cupec, said Thursday that he moved to Ohio several years ago but she doesn't know where. He was estranged from the family, who last visited him three years ago in Findlay, she said. Cupec lived in the same duplex in Findlay as Kroetz, said Kroetz's older brother, Mike. Anderson and Cupec were engaged, Zimmerman said. The friends were warned not to swim by a city staff member at the park, Tann said. But Jarred Smith's brother, Talon, said friends who were there told him a different story. He said nine people were in the group and were aware of the warnings. They later asked a park worker if the waves were still too dangerous, he said, and were told only to be careful in the water. ``They asked her more than once,'' Talon Smith said. The brother, who watched part of the search, said he can't understand why people were allowed on the beach at all. ``They should have closed the whole thing down,'' he said. ``When I looked out and saw that water, I knew somebody screwed up.'' A message was left with Tann seeking further comment Thursday. ``This is not something that's cast in stone, but when you tell people, 'Don't go in the water. It's closed.' I don't know how more clear you can make it,'' Tann said Wednesday. Sandra Kroetz, 58, mother of Kyle Kroetz, said her son would have known the dangers of the water. ``It was a day off and they went to the beach, knowing the water wasn't very good and knowing they shouldn't go in,'' she said. ``They were just going to kick around the beach.'' But Kroetz had been an Eagle Scout and his friend Matthew Smith was a high school track athlete, which may have convinced them they could save Anderson, relatives said. Smith's father Frank Smith said of his son, ``He was an outstanding athlete. That's probably why he thought he could do this, because he was in very good shape.'' After several reports of strong tides last week, the city published a flier warning swimmers to be very cautious. Jim Lynch of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said, ``Lake Erie can become very dangerous very quickly. Because it is so shallow, the wind comes and can drum up waves very quickly.'' There was a drowning at the half-mile long beach last year and another in 1999. Tann said the beach is closed for swimming two or three times during most summers because of strong winds. Park workers on Wednesday gave visitors verbal warnings not to swim and handed out fliers explaining the dangerous conditions. City councilman Terry Graham Sr. said locals know the dangers of the beach, but visitors can be surprised by its violence. ``We know you don't go out there when its crashing and bashing,'' he said. Anderson and the two rescuers who became exhausted _ firefighter Monty Tapp and Fire Captain Otis Bronner _ were treated Wednesday at Firelands Regional Medical Center and released. Eight firefighters tied themselves together Wednesday and trudged into the water to search for the four men but were hampered by waves. Huron is about 50 miles west of Cleveland. Lifesaving Resources Inc. - www.lifesaving.com - (603) 827-4139 |
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