Crews searching for Cedar Rapids city employee whose truck was found in river

CEDAR RAPIDS — Crews continued searching Sunday for a city of Cedar Rapids Water Division employee whose fleet truck was found submerged a day earlier in the Cedar River not far from where he was working.

Authorities said that Erik Spaw, 54, of Cedar Rapids, was working a Friday evening shift at the Northwest Water Treatment Plant, 7807 Ellis Rd. Early Saturday, water division staff reported he had not returned to the J Avenue Water Treatment Plant after working most of his shift at the northwest plant.

His own vehicle was found in the parking lot at the J Avenue plant, but the Utilities and Fleet Departments determined the last known location of Spaw’s assigned fleet vehicle was near Ellis Road NW.

Crews found the city truck submerged in several feet of water about a mile upstream from the Edgewood River bridge. When the truck was brought to shore, though, there were no occupants found inside.

Teams were using sonar-equipped boats and drag lines Sunday to search the site and downstream in the river.

“We are extremely saddened to face the loss of an employee,” said Roy Hesemann, utilities director, in a statement. “Erik was a valued employee who gave many years of service to the city, and we are grateful for his dedication. We grieve with his family, staff who worked with Erik, and the community.”

“This has been a very sad weekend for the city of Cedar Rapids team, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said in a statement. ”Employees are facing the loss of a colleague and friend. It will take time to process this tragic incident. “The city has mental health resources available to support our employee’s needs and we’ll be reaching out directly to those who worked closely with Erik to ensure they are supported in the days ahead.”