****UPDATE: Race organizers issued a statement from the family of van der Horst:

“The family of Charles Van Der Horst of Chapel Hill, NC is deeply saddened to confirm the loss of our beloved Charlie. He was participating in several stages of the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim when he went under at the finish of Stage 6. 

Charlie exemplified living life to its fullest. He put all of his passion and zest into everything he did, from his love of his family, friends and community, to his swimming to his work on social justice and in the medical field. At this time we ask that you respect our wishes for privacy as we mourn this tragic loss.”

__________

Divers are searching for a Chapel Hill man who went missing during Friday’s leg of a week-long race in the Hudson River.

CBS News in New York is reporting that rescue crews were in the water around 3 p.m. Friday and were expected to continue the search on Saturday.

The missing man has been identified as 67-year-old Charles van der Horst, who retired from the UNC School of Medicine as an infectious disease specialist. He specialized in AIDS research.

van der Horst was reportedly participating in the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim when he went missing.

UNC Health Care issued a statement via social media that said the School of Medicine “is shocked and saddened at the news that Dr. Charles van der Horst (retired from UNC) has been reported missing following a multi-day swimming race in New York’s Hudson River. Our thoughts are with Dr. van der Horst’s family at this time.”

Organizers called off Saturday’s final leg of the race.

Related Stories
‹
UNC: Phishing Incident Possibly Exposes Information of 3,700 Individuals
More than 3,700 individuals may have had their personal information exposed as a result of a data breach at the UNC School of Medicine. The university announced the breach on Tuesday, following a “lengthy and extensive review conducted by a leading independent forensic firm” found that “an unauthorized third party gained access to several email […]
Durham Tech Partners With UNC to Launch New Anesthesia Technology Program
Durham Tech is partnering with the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health Care to launch a new Anesthesia Technology program. It will be the only one of its kind in the state, and is expected be part of the 11 approved programs across the country. “We’re very excited about this collaboration,” said Durham Tech […]
Bond Proposal Could Bring New School of Medicine Facility to UNC
The UNC School of Medicine is introducing new curriculum and could be moving into a new facility. This was part of a presentation from Dr. Julie Byerley, vice dean for education and chief education officer at the school. She laid out curriculum changes to the Board of Trustees at its meeting on Thursday. Byerley said […]
Accidental Alarm Registration; "Better Back Care"; August Pet Adoption
If you're in Chapel Hill and you haven't registered your alarm yet, now is the time to do it.
100 Years of Kenan Stadium: 'Give Us That Victory Bell Back!'
Voice of the Tar Heels Jones Angell looks back on the UNC-Duke game at Kenan Stadium in 2019, one of the best in the history of the rivalry.
The Morning News: Election Approaching, Stolen Car Crashing - New Cradle Opening?
Get-out-the-vote efforts are underway for the 2026 election - including a concert at the site Cat's Cradle is developing as a third venue.
UNC Football Ranked No. 1?! 78 Years Ago, It Really Happened.
During the summer, I stumbled across a graphic on social media that caught my eye. It showed every program to have been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press College Football poll, which debuted in 1936. Since then, there have been more than 1,200 polls, featuring 45 different teams in the top spot. Timeline of […]
UNC Men's Basketball Picked 5th in 2026-27 ACC Preseason Poll
UNC was picked fifth in the ACC men’s basketball preseason poll Monday afternoon. Two-time reigning conference champion Duke comes in at No. 1, taking home 45 of a possible 48 first-place votes. No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Louisville and No. 4 Miami each followed with one first-place vote each. Below UNC, No. 6 Clemson, No. […]
UNC Women's Basketball Picked 3rd in ACC; Kate Harpring Receives Preseason Honor
UNC was picked to finish third in the ACC in the league’s preseason poll Tuesday. The Tar Heels received one of 76 first-place votes. Duke, which is coming off consecutive conference titles, sits at No. 1 in the preseason poll with 49 first-place votes. No. 2 Louisville (22 votes) is next, followed by UNC and […]
Tell Me Something: The Importance of Faculty Diversity, with UNC's Constance Lindsay
Aaron welcomes UNC education professor Constance Lindsay to discuss the importance of faculty diversity on K-12 student success.
›