Lynn police, Coast Guard seek man missing off pier

LYNN – Local and state officials worked to find a man who was reported missing shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday while he was working on the pier at Lynn Seaport Marina.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who arrived at the marina around 4 p.m., said she was told that the man had left his life jacket, phone and wallet behind on the pier.Lynn fire and police crews were joined by boats from State Police and the U.S. Coast Guard and at least one helicopter to search Lynn Harbor. Around 4:30 p.m. a state police SCUBA diver went into the water to continue the search, and bystanders were asked to leave the pier at 5 p.m.Lynn District Fire Chief Tim Collier said the call came in when co-workers became concerned of his whereabouts. Collier gave no name for the missing man and said he did not know if he could swim.The foreman of the company, who declined to give his or the company?s name, said he was uncomfortable answering questions until the search was over.At 6:30 p.m., Coast Guard spokesperson Robert Simpson said the search was still open and showed no sign of being suspended. Simpson made no estimates how long a person could survive in the water at its temperature, but said it was “definitely a factor in how long we may still be searching.”Simpson confirmed that the harbormaster had made calls to the missing man?s cell phone but received no answer.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].