Rescue crews continue search for driver lost in Table Mesa floodwaters

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - Search and rescue crews wrapped up their second day of searching on Monday for a man swept away by the Agua Fria River near Table Mesa.

What we know:

The man, identified as Chris Couch, was the driver of a submerged Jeep from which a female passenger was rescued Sunday. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) described the remote, muddy terrain as severely challenging the search efforts.

Couch and a passenger drove their vehicle into the Agua Fria River on Sunday. The rainfall had quickly transformed the usually dry area into a dangerous, fast-moving river flowing all the way into Lake Pleasant.

"This water is running rapidly, and it starts up north and goes all the way into Lake Pleasant. This is a river," said Dave Moyer, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The MCSO helicopter, known as Fox 1, located the passenger on the roof of the submerged Jeep and transported her to safety. Couch was nowhere to be found as rescue crews arrived.

‘You get places nobody else can be’

Moyer warned against driving in the area during heavy rain.

"The desert cannot soak up that water that fast. You've got mud, you got ruts in the roads, and you’ve got vehicles that can get stuck out there, so we advise people not to go out there," he said.

The search, which began immediately Sunday, involved the MCSO helicopter patrolling the river and deputies searching the ground in segments. The challenging conditions forced the search crews, including friends and volunteers, to focus their efforts on a two-mile section of the river.

Local volunteer Louis Buzzard, who came out to assist, acknowledged the inherent risks of off-roading in the remote area.

"You get places nobody else can be when you get back there. It’s you and John Wayne that’s been there and that’s it," Buzzard said.

Rescuers hope conditions will improve daily to allow them to expand the search perimeter.