Falls Church Man Who Tried to Rescue Boy Also Missing in River

A Northern Virginia man who tried to save an 11-year-old boy from the racing waters of the Potomac River on Sunday is also missing, authorities said yesterday.

Search crews have not found any sign of the boy, Jorge Castro of Winchester, who fell into the water about 5 p.m. after slipping off rocks about 75 yards south of the Chain Bridge.

Now the search has expanded to include Hau T. Nguyen, 37, who is believed to have been fishing nearby when he jumped into the river to rescue the boy.

Initial witness reports indicated that the boy's father and another man had jumped in after Jorge. Both were rescued.

But D.C. detectives interviewed witnesses again Monday night and learned that another man, Nguyen, jumped into the river as well, according to Lt. Paul Niepling of the D.C. police harbor patrol unit.

"He was just another fisherman who was out there enjoying the day," Niepling said. "He saw the kid, so he jumped in."

Nguyen told his family about 10 a.m. Sunday that he was going fishing. He did not return to his home in the Falls Church area that night, and relatives grew more concerned when they checked Monday and learned that he had not shown up at his job as an auto mechanic.

Acting on a hunch, Nguyen's wife and other relatives went to the banks of the Potomac near Georgetown on Monday and spotted his car, a 2002 red Pontiac TransAm.

"As soon as we saw the car, that's when we knew something was wrong," said Thanh Vo, Nguyen's brother-in-law.

Yesterday, Vo was among about a dozen family members and friends gathered at Fletcher's Boathouse waiting for word from police.

They sought shade under some trees on a patch of hill, within eyesight of underwater search trucks.

"Maybe we will wait until sunset," Vo said quietly, wiping away tears. "We want to wait until we find him."

Vo said Nguyen and his wife, Hong Vo, have a 1-year-old son, Henry.

Nguyen, who is originally from Vietnam, came to the United States in 2001, Vo said. In his spare time, he loves to be outdoors, Vo said.

"Every off day, he wants to go out and do fishing," Vo said. "He was always talking about fishing."

Vo described his brother-in-law as a strong swimmer who had told the family stories of helping others who had slipped into the water.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.