Missing boater identified

BERLIN TWP. — Officials have identified a man who has been missing since he fell into Lake Erie waters after a boat crash near Huron. James M. Muncy, 54, of Wakeman, has still not been found two weeks after a Nov. 16 boat collision that left one man dead. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed the identities of Muncy and two others involved in the crash early Tuesday. At about 9 p.m., two powerboats crashed into each other near the Cranberry Creek Marina in Berlin Township, according to information from the U.S. Coast Guard. Two people from each vessel were ejected. Wade Lafferty, 55, of Vermilion, along with Mansfield residents Matthew C. Mooney, 47, and Matthew M. Baker, 47, were pulled from the water by first responders and a Good Samaritan and were all hospitalized. Lafferty was later declared dead; Mooney and Baker were treated for hypothermia and back injuries. Coast Guard water and air rescue teams searched for Muncy through the night after the crash and into the morning. The search was aborted the next afternoon. Ohio Department of Resources officers have been searching for Muncy every day since the crash, according to ODNR spokesperson Stephanie O'Grady. They have focused search efforts in the area of the crash. "We are not labeling this a recovery mission. We are actively searching for the missing boater," O'Grady said. "ODNR officers will search until he is found."