Posted at: 11/19/2009 10:46 PM
Updated at: 11/20/2009 7:47 AM
By: Kristin Martin

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Missing Driver Identified

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- Dozens of law enforcement combed through Freeborn County, for hours tonight looking the missing driver of a farm vehicle that ended up in a swamp. ABC 6 was first on the scene.

It's a bizarre story out of Freeborn County tonight. Neighbors say that trucks were fertilizing a field when a man crashed one of those trucks into a swamp.

Just moments ago police notified ABC 6 that Seth Strusz, from Hartland, is the man they have been looking all evening. He fled the scene, sparking an air and ground search by local law enforcement.

Around 4pm Thursday afternoon, Freeborn authorities received a call about a truck in a swamp. When they arrived, they realized the driver was missing.

“He left the vehicle, he walked off, we know he was injured,” says Detective Will Beers with the Freeborn County Sheriff.

As night fell, the Manchester, Clarks Grove and Albert Lea fire departments worked alongside the Freeborn County Sheriff and a K9 unit searching barns and the surrounding area, for the driver.

While a search helicopter from the state patrol searched from the air, there were still a lot of unanswered questions.

“Your guess is as good as mine. At this point we don't know if he was upset at his employer. We don't know how his truck ended up in the swamp area,” says Beers.

Authorities ended the search around 7:15 Thursday night and put a call out to anyone in Freeborn County that may have picked up an injured man in his 30's earlier in the day.

“Call law enforcement and let us know they picked him up and gave him a ride to wherever and we'll take it from there,” says Beers.

Authorities want to stress that Seth Strusz poses no danger to anyone. ABC 6 tried to call the company that owns the truck but have yet to hear back. The search will resume at first light tomorrow morning. Stay with ABC 6 News tomorrow for more on this developing story as we continue to follow the search for that missing driver.