The Search for Mr. Erik Matthijsen

Mr. Erik Matthijsen is a man in his 50s and an experienced hiker. He set out on a trail in the Wells Bay area of Saba at around 11:00 a.m. He is a member of the team working on the Mount Scenery Tower Project and is well known as an active outdoorsman. By the end of the day, he had not returned.

Mr. Erik Matthijsen

Authorities quickly issued a public alert, asking anyone who had seen him to contact emergency services via 911. The public was asked to stay off the trails and to leave the searching to the professionals. Later that night, a crisis team gathered to discuss next steps, and a drone with thermal imaging capabilities was sent to scout the area. Attempts were also made to trace his phone.

By 6:30 the following morning, Erik had still not been found. A fully coordinated search was launched, drawing in teams from the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF), the Coast Guard, and HANAB, the contractors connected to the Mount Scenery Tower Project. The contractor’s helicopter, already on the island for the tower project, was also brought in to assist with aerial searches. Through WhatsApp messages, the public was asked to stay off several specific trails, i.e., the Ladder Bay, Middle Island, North Coast, and All Too Far trails, so as not to hinder the operation.

As the day wore on, the search intensified. Camera footage analysis helped confirm and narrow the search zone, ruling out several areas and concentrating efforts on the region between the Middle Island and Sulphur Mine trails. Ground teams, guided by SCF, methodically worked through all identified trails, probable off-trail routes, and coastal viewpoints. The Coast Guard conducted sea searches with their vessel and drones, and aerial footage and coverage was provided by the contractor’s helicopter and the Coast Guard’s DASH patrol airplane.

The ground searches were called off for safety reasons at nightfall, but the operation went on. Thermal imaging drones and handheld cameras were deployed through the night, taking advantage of dropping temperatures to more easily detect heat signals in the narrowed search zone. Island Governor Jonathan Johnson confirmed that the crisis team had arranged for the drones to run continuously, with ground teams resuming again at first light. The Ladder Bay trail was cleared and reopened to the public.

Throughout the operation, gratitude was extended to an extensive network of partners: KPCN, BKCN, the Ministry of Defense, the Coast Guard, Marines, the National Crisis Center, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Saba Conservation Foundation, and the many volunteers who gave their time.
The search for Erik Matthijsen continues.

PES