He was last seen at the river with his friends. Now a search for the teenager is underway

A search is underway for an 18-year-old who is said to have been swept away by the rising water level of the San Joaquin River Gorge on Saturday.

A group of friends were visiting Squaw Leap and sitting on a rock when the water levels rose quickly and they were swept away by the current.

While the rest of the friends were able to make it to higher ground, Jared Gardner was nowhere to be found after being swept away by the fast-moving current, said Lt. Robert Woodrum with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

When his friends were able to reach phone service at 3:45 p.m., they called the sheriff's office to report their friend had gone missing.

Gardner's aunt, Aubri Marie Foster, said Monday morning the family is holding onto hope.

"There are not words to describe what we are going through, but we are sure of the Lord and clinging to faith in Christ," Foster said.

According to Foster, Gardner was with his brother, Trent Gardner, 19, and five friends from church.

Search-and-rescue teams scanned the area throughout the weekend and continued their search Monday morning.

Foster said her husband, John Foster, is out with the search-and-rescue team. She said he is the family's "representative" due to the dangerous nature of the search.

"It is important for us to trust the search-and-rescue team," Foster said.

She added the family fully supports them and knows they are doing all they can to find her nephew.

She says helicopters, boats, drones, divers and other rescue methods have been utilized in the search for Gardner.

Woodrum said there are about 10 personnel from the office conducting the search-and-rescue mission, as well as Millerton Lake State Park Rangers.

Foster said of their efforts, "We are beyond grateful."

This story was originally published May 14, 2018 at 8:39 AM with the headline "He was last seen at the river with his friends. Now a search for the teenager is underway."