Body identified as missing fisherman

BUSHKILL —The body recovered from the Delaware River by two National Park Service employees on Wednesday, 14 has been identified as missing Morris County fisherman Richard Skoland, 62, announced Superintendent John J. Donahue. The National Park Service received formal notification today from the Warren County Medical Examiner, who conducted an autopsy and identified Skoland using dental records. Richard Skoland had been missing since a boating accident on Apr. 3. The National Park Service employees were on a boat patrol when they came across human remains in the river, about one mile south of Sambo Island. Sambo Island is approximately 14 miles downriver from where the accident occurred. The National Park Service contacted the Warren County Medical Examiner and the New Jersey State Police to receive the body and conduct further investigation. Richard Skoland, Timothy Panella, 57, and Ronald Priest, 58, were fishing on the Delaware River on Apr. 3 trip when their boat capsized just south of the Dingmans Ferry Bridge. Priest made it to shore near the Van Campen Inn on Old Mine Road in New Jersey and flagged down passing motorists who called for assistance. He was later treated and released from a local hospital. Skoland and Panella were reported missing and an intensive search effort was begun. The body of Timothy Panella was found on Apr. 19 in the Walpack Bend area of the river. The search for Richard Skoland and Timothy Panella involved personnel, search dogs, and equipment from multiple agencies and volunteer organizations, including Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, Valley Forge National Historical Park, New Jersey State Police Marine Services Unit and dive T.E. a.m., New Jersey State Police Aviation Bureau, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania State Police Aviation Division, Bushkill Fire Company, Dingman Township Volunteer Fire Company, Hemlock Farms Volunteer Fire Company, Northampton Fire Department, Port Jervis Fire Department, Portland Hook and Ladder Company, Whitehall Fire Rescue, Civil Air Patrol, Pike County K-9, Ramapo Rescue Dog Association, and the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit . The National Park Service reminds all river users to wear a personal flotation device (PFD) when on or near the water.