TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- The New Jersey man killed in a tugboat crash Saturday had worked on boats his entire life, his daughter told the New York Daily News.
Firefighters pulled Paul Amon, 52, of Bayville, from the Hudson River shortly after the tug he was working on crashed into a barge and sank, but he was pronounced dead, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said Saturday.
"He loved his job," his daughter Ericka Amon said, according to the Daily News. "He loved working on the boats."
Two other crew members, who have not been identified publicly, are still missing. Emergency responders searched for more than 12 hours, but suspended the search at sunset Saturday.
The search and rescue operation would remain suspended unless there are "additional findings," Sabrina Laberdesque, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Coast Guard, said Sunday. While the search was suspended, local agencies would continue efforts to salvage and recover the sunken tugboat and and clean up 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaking into the river.
New York State Police used sonar to pinpoint the location of the tug, named The Specialist. It was 40 feet underwater near the Tappan Zee Bridge, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
The 84-foot-long tug crashed into a construction barge moored at the new Tappan Zee project around 5:15 a.m., officials said. The Specialist quickly sank.
Thirteen people on the barge were not injured, said Cuomo, who called the wreck a "tragic accident."
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, Laberdesque said.
The crash Saturday was the second fatal accident at the Tappan Zee Bridge construction site. In 2013, a boat hit a construction barge. The driver was charged with being drunk.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.