SLIPPERY ROCK TWP, Lawrence County — The second day of searching for a 38-year-old man from Meadville, Crawford County, who fell into Slippery Rock Creek from a hiking trail at McConnells Mill State Park, came up empty Sunday.

Firefighters and search and rescue teams from Butler, Beaver, Lawrence and Allegheny counties scoured 4.5 miles of the rugged banks of the creek and used a drone to look down from above for the man, but called off the search about 5 p.m.

The search will resume 8 a.m. Monday with park personnel.

Groups of people in kayaks were allowed to join the search in the afternoon when water levels began to recede.

The water level was above normal Saturday at 2:30 p.m. when the man fell into the creek while walking with family members on the Kildoo Trailjust downstream from the Covered Bridge, said Dustin Drew, park manager.

“Stay on the trail. That's the best advice I can give,” Drew said.

Searchers covered the area between the Covered and Eckert bridges Sunday morning and began shifting their focus a short distance downstream of the Eckert Bridge in the afternoon while the man's family waited for word in an area away from the search zone, he said.

Park officials declined to release the man's name at this time.

Amy Glath and her husband Jamie and their children Maci, 14 and Cooper, 9, of the North Hills were walking on the crowded trail Saturday when other walkers suddenly moved to the side to make room for two running men.

“They said there was a guy in the water,” Amy Glath said. “One grabbed a life preserver that was right there. He went down a real steep hill to get to the water. We could see the guy. I yelled to let him know somebody was trying to help him.”

The man was struggling, but tried to reach a life preserver that someone threw from shore.

“He missed it by inches,” Glath said.

She said her daughter ran downstream to look for another life preservers located along the creek, but couldn't find one.

“He was traveling so fast in the water. It was so swift,” she said.

Other people on the trail farther downstream on a crowded day at the park told her they saw the man floating.

No one attempted to go into the creek to reach him due to the high, fast-moving water.

“Nobody was in the water. It was way too rough. I'm 51, and I've been going there for over 30 years and I've never seen it that rough. It was really bad,” Glath said.

She said she called 911 at 2:38 p.m.

Drew said this has been the first search for a person missing in the creek in the six years he has worked at the park.

A fisherman fell and broke a leg along the creek a couple weeks ago, he said.

“It does happen,” Drew said.

Signs posted at parking lots and trailheads warn people about dangerous cliffs and dangerous water, and prohibit swimming.

State police and STAT MedEvac helicopters assisted the ground search Saturday.

Joining the search Sunday were about 60 people from the Butler County Water Rescue Team 300, Portersville-Muddy Creek Township Volunteer Fire Department, Butler County Emergency Services, Beaver Falls Fire Department, Slippery Rock and Scott township volunteer fire departments from Lawrence County, Lawrence County Department of Public Safety, Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group and the Robinson Township Volunteer Fire Company from Allegheny County. At last six canines were used in the search Sunday.