Police said the gunman fled after a man was killed in Tacony.
PHILADELPHIA — Police searched Monday for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 30-year-old man at a Northeast Philadelphia boat launch, where investigators said the gunman fled after opening fire near the Delaware River.
The killing happened Sunday evening at the Princeton Avenue Boat Launch in Tacony, a public river access point used by boaters and people with personal watercraft. Police said the victim was found inside a white pickup truck and had been shot multiple times. No arrest had been reported by Monday morning.
Officers were called to the area around 5 p.m. Sunday. When they arrived, they found the man in the front seat of the truck, which had a jet ski attached. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene at 5:07 p.m. Police Captain Timothy Stephan said the victim was shot in the head and back area.
Authorities said the victim’s wife and other witnesses were nearby when the shooting happened. Detectives were working through witness statements and had not publicly named the victim. Police said the shooter was male and known to witnesses, but investigators had not said what relationship, if any, he had to the victim.
The boat launch sits in Tacony along the Delaware River, where Northeast Philadelphia meets a mix of riverfront roads, recreation spots and industrial land. The site can become busy on weekends and warm evenings. Police did not say whether anyone else was injured or whether the shooting forced a wider closure of the launch.
Investigators were still trying to establish a motive and timeline. Police said the suspect left the scene after the shooting, and authorities were looking into reports that he escaped on a jet ski. Detectives were expected to check surveillance video from nearby areas and collect evidence from the truck and launch.
Witnesses described a sudden police response at the riverfront site. One visitor, Marcus Oliveira of Cinnaminson, said he saw emergency lights and realized something serious had happened. Police kept the scene under investigation as officers and detectives worked near the water and vehicle.
The homicide remained unsolved Monday. Police had not announced charges, a weapon recovery or the victim’s identity, leaving the search for the shooter as the next step in the investigation.
Author note: Last updated Monday, June 8, 2026.