Authorities have identified the man who likely drowned in the Susquehanna River on Thursday evening as John Albright, a 19-year-old from Manheim Township.

Rescue crews recovered Albright's body on Friday, about 20 hours after he dove off a 20- to 30-foot cliff near Peach Bottom.

Divers entered the water near the cliff shortly after lunchtime, guided by witnesses who saw Albright go into the river. Albright's body was found a short time later.

An autopsy will be done Monday morning to determine the cause of death, Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said.

"Many things could have happened underwater," Diamantoni, who confirmed Albright's identity, said this morning. "The autopsy will provide us answers to some of the questions we have."

Albright was with a group of friends who were diving off "The Rock" or "The Cliffs," nicknames for a popular swimming area near Ferncliff Wildflower and Wildlife Preserve in Drumore Township.

Divers and rescue crews from the Harford County Technical Rescue Team in Maryland recovered Albright's body between Mount Johnson Island and the Lancaster County shoreline.

Crews, some using search-and-rescue dogs, started looking for him around 6 p.m. Thursday, when swimmers called for help, and continued to do so until about 11:30 p.m. Thursday before calling off the search for the night.

A Robert Fulton Fire Company official said the cliffs are a popular — but potentially hazardous — spot, where young people congregate and dive from in warm weather.

About 20 to 25 people were at the cliffs when Albright dove in, the official said.

Albright went into the water, surfaced, but then went under again, he said.

More than a dozen young people gathered on and near the rocky cliff Friday to watch the search. Most declined to comment, saying they knew the victim and that it was too soon after his death to talk.

Several showed a rescue boat from Susquehanna Hose Company of Havre de Grace, Md., where to anchor, pointing from the shoreline to the spot where Albright entered the water.

One threw a small rock into the river to show the spot, which the rescue crew marked with an orange buoy.

Two divers then went into the water, the depth of which drops off sharply near the shoreline just beyond the cliff. The water was about 22 feet deep where the boat stopped, but closer to the cliff it was only about 12 feet deep.

"It's extremely dangerous to jump off," said Rob Sample, deputy chief of Robert Fulton, which assisted with Thursday's and Friday's searches. "You're jumping off, going into dark water. We know there's different hazards under the water."

A rescue worker said Friday that there were sign posts, old bicycles, trash cans and other debris in the water just under the cliffs.

The water also is very murky. The visibility was only several inches, the rescue worker said.

Some of the young people who congregated at the river knew Albright, who they said had attended Manheim Township High School and lived in that area.

Others did not know him but were familiar with the swimming spot, which was littered with beer cans, water bottles, discarded clothing, potato chip bags and other debris.

"There's usually 20 to 30 people here every day when it's nice out," said Cory Hodson, 23, who lives on Slate Hill Road, about a mile from the site.

To get to the spot, people have to walk about 15 minutes, a distance of about a mile, down a picturesque trail that winds through the Ferncliff preserve and ends at a railroad track that runs parallel to the river. They then follow the tracks south about 200 yards to the rocky cliff, which features graffiti, including a figure of a swimmer, on it.

The flat cliff top is accessible by a short, steep climb up a crevice in the rock. The shore also is accessible via a short path down to the water's edge.

Two Millersville University students walked down the tracks Friday, wearing swim trunks, carrying towels and readying for a swim until they heard that a young man had died at the spot the day before.

They quickly changed their plans, expressing surprise at the news.

Jeremy Frey, 22, said he has seen people drinking and partying at the site, but many come just to swim.

The land along the river, including the cliffs, is owned by Exelon, which owns the Peach Bottom nuclear plant, an official said.

Staff writer Larry Alexander contributed to this report.

cstauffer@lnpnews.com