Coast Guard Abandons Rescue of Man Ejected From Boat

The U.S. Coast Guard abandoned its rescue effort yesterday for a St. Mary's County man who was ejected from a speedboat a day earlier on the Patuxent River.

Patrick G. Reiter, 39, of Mechanicsville was officially declared missing, but police said it is unlikely he could have survived so long in the water. The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. Sunday in an area north of the Governor Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge, which connects Calvert and St. Mary's counties.

"It does not look good," said Sgt. Ken Turner, a spokesman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Turner said the boat was traveling at "a high rate of speed" when it capsized. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash, he said.

The three men found in the vessel were taken to local hospitals. Turner identified them as Robert T. Baumgarten, 30, of Lexington Park; Kenneth N. Weisskopf, 37, of Mechanicsville; and Joshua E. Reithmeyer, 25, of Mechanicsville. He said none of the men was wearing a life jacket when the boat crashed.

Baumgarten remained in intensive care yesterday. The other two men were treated and released.

-- Matt Zapotosky