Missing Man ID'd As Body Found In Bay Off Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Berkeley Township man who went missing Tuesday has been identified as the man whose body was found floating near a marina in the Ortley Beach section of Toms River on Wednesday.

The 68-year-old man, whose name has not been released, had gone missing from his Seabright Avenue home about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Berkeley Township Police Chief Karin DiMichele said. The home sits along the Toms River near Barnegat Bay, she said.

The man, who had last been seen on June 24, was believed to have fallen into Barnegat Bay and searches were conducted on both the land and in the water, with a number of agencies participating.

At 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, the man was found in the water off Ortley Beach, DiMichele said. The preliminary investigation shows no signs of foul play. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Shawn Bowens of the Berkeley Township Detective Bureau at 732-341-1132, ext. 2124.

Units involved in the search were: Berkeley Township detectives, patrol officers, the township Marine Unit, New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, the Ocean County prosecutor's office, K9 officers from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, the county sheriff's drone unit, New Jersey State Park Police, Ocean Gate police, the Berkeley Township Underwater Search and Rescue Unit, the Pinewald Pioneer Fire Department, the Bayville Fire Department and the Manitou Park Fire Department. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Mobile Command Unit was set up as well.

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