The family of a 12-year-old boy who was taken to sea in Northern California is offering a $ 50,000 reward to anyone who finds him after a search at multiple agencies has been suspended.
The boy, identified by the family as Arunay Pruthi, was pulled into the ocean at Cowell Ranch Beach in the town of Half Moon Bay, about 25 miles south of San Francisco, on Monday.
Arunay’s father and 8-year-old brother were also attracted to a “tennis wave,” said the boy’s uncle, Arvind Pruthi. The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit said the father and brother were finally pushed back to shore after being “beaten by the waves”. Arunay was pulled under the water about 100 meters from the shore.
US Coast Guard Cal Fire, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies used boats, drones and helicopters to search for Arunay. A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office said on Wednesday that the search was suspended.
A sector deputy commander at the San Francisco Coast Guard unit said the decision was made “after considering environmental conditions and elapsed time”.
“This is a tragic loss for the family who were simply trying to spend a day together on the beach. Our deepest condolences are with them right now,” said captain Howard Wright.
In a Facebook post on a Search for Arunay Pruthi page, the boy’s family said they were offering the $ 50,000 reward “for locating and positively identifying Arunay”.
“We decided to offer a reward to encourage people with specialized equipment to help look for it,” said the family in a post.
They asked the volunteers to put their safety first and not to search during bad weather. “We cannot allow another soul to be hurt.”
