A man who was the subject of a nearly five-hour search Sunday night has been located safe.
The man’s wife contacted authorities Monday and identified him as the individual search crews had been looking for. She told officials her husband had gone to the Sentelle Road bridge to wait for a ride. Because of the heat, she said, he had removed his shirt. When the person giving him a ride arrived, he got into the vehicle and left. She told authorities he is now home safe and sound.
The search began after a passerby reported seeing a man sitting on the Sentelle Road bridge near the John Bird Road intersection. The witness told 911 the man was wearing only underwear and was sitting on the bridge railing with his legs hanging over the downstream side. When the caller returned just a few minutes later, the man was gone and could not be found anywhere along the roadway.
More than two dozen first responders took part in the search Sunday night, which lasted until about 10:30 p.m.
Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt said search operations did not resume Monday because the passerby had been unable to identify the man and no one had been reported missing. Holt said the situation was resolved only after the man’s wife called to report that he was safe.
First responders who were already in the area arrived within three to four minutes of the 911 call but found no sign of the man. Witnesses told responders they had driven back through the area after first seeing him, but he had disappeared and they did not know his identity.
After an initial search of the bridge and surrounding roadway failed to locate the man, officials expanded the operation to Camp Creek, fearing he may have fallen or entered the fast-moving water.
Volunteers from the Camp Creek and Tusculum Volunteer Fire Departments, along with the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad, were dispatched shortly after 6:15 p.m. An incident command post was established at Zion Presbyterian Church, a short distance from the bridge.
Tusculum Volunteer Fire Department Captain Nick Dunbar coordinated the search. Ground crews searched both banks of Camp Creek from the Sentelle Road bridge to its confluence with the Nolichucky River, covering approximately 1½ miles.
Additional spotters were stationed at the Rainbow Bridge on Camp Creek and at Jones Bridge on the Nolichucky River downstream, near where the creek empties into the river.
The Tusculum Volunteer Fire Department also launched an inflatable rescue raft at the bridge and traveled downstream toward the Rainbow Bridge at the Highway 107 Cutoff. Their progress was eventually stopped by fallen trees and other debris blocking the creek. Responders said Camp Creek was flowing rapidly because of weekend flooding.
Tusculum Fire Chief Marty Shelton said crews were able to maneuver around several downed trees and even carry the raft around some obstacles before determining that conditions had become too hazardous to continue after dark.
During the search, Greene County Emergency Management Agency Director Heather Sipe monitored weather conditions and advised responders of a slow-moving storm approaching from the Knoxville area. Sheriff Holt relayed the forecast to search crews, warning that additional heavy rainfall was expected later in the evening.
By approximately 9:30 p.m., search operations were winding down, and the active search was suspended. Crews officially ended their efforts for the night around 10:30 p.m.
