PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities are searching for a man whose shocked family thinks may be the victim of a car crash off the Glenn Jackson Bridge, which serves as Interstate 205 and connects Portland to Vancouver. The crash happened late Sunday afternoon at about the time Antonio Amaro Lopez would have been driving home from his job in Clark County.
Amaro's family and friends gathered along the Columbia River on Tuesday looking for a glimpse of good news.
“We just came down here to see some of their efforts. We saw a couple boats going towards the island,” said Abigail Amaro, who is Antonio’s daughter.
So far searchers using sonar have found nothing.
“We are trying not to lose hope, keeping our faith that we're going to be able to find our dad," Abigail said. "We just want to find him."
Amaro's three daughters and his wife stood close together to talk about their missing loved one. They said Antonio Amaro Lopez works for the family's Amaro's Table restaurant, a popular establishment which expanded to a second location in Hazel Dell last summer.
He would have been coming home to Southeast Portland on Valentine’s Day at about the time witnesses saw an SUV slide on ice going southbound and crash off the bridge. Amaro drives a maroon-colored Subaru Tribeca SUV, similar to what witnesses described seeing hit a snow bank on the side of the road and go over the edge.
“If that was my dad, he didn't deserve it," said Abigail. "We always pictured my parents growing old together. So, it's hard to see my mom and what she's going through.”
Abigail spoke the most about her father. Antonio’s wife Nieves expressed her anguish in Spanish.
The Amaro family hopes that searchers will keep trying to find the man they love very much. And as they potentially face a very tough loss, this family asks for people to call about anything they see on or near the water around the Glenn Jackson Bridge.
“He's a kind, kind soul, the best father that anyone could ask for," Abigail said.
Anyone with information about this crash is asked to contact Portland police officer Garrett Dow Garrett.Dow@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-5070