Beloved EMT, Firefighter From Ocean County Dies In Florida Diving Accident

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Family and friends are mourning the death of David Ley, a firefighter and EMT from Toms River, who died Thursday morning while diving off the coast of Florida.

The Island Heights Volunteer Fire Company, where Ley was a member, announced his death on Facebook:

"It is with extremely heavy hearts that we have to announce the passing of one of our members, firefighter David Ley. He was a beloved member of many emergency services including fire and first aid. We will always remember you and all of the amazing things you did in life. We are all better for having known you. Rest In Peace Dave (Fish n' Chips)," the post read.

Plumsted Township Fire District 1, where Ley was employed as a per diem firefighter and EMT, also announce Ley's death, referring to it as "a sports related incident."

"He was a great friend and co-worker to many, always happy and willing to help out. He will be greatly missed," the Plumsted post said.

He also was a beloved member of Berkeley Township Underwater Search and Rescue Squad 86, squad officials said.

Ley, who was born in Britain and was referred to by some of his friends as "British Dave" or "English Dave," is described over and over as a genuine and kind, with a huge sense of adventure, and a smile that lit up a room.

Ley's father, Bernard, posted a tribute to his son on Thursday, that also spoke to Dave's zest for adventure:

A report by the Palm Beach Post, a diver was pronounced dead after being pulled from the water four miles off the coast of Jupiter, FL, quoting officers. Sources have confirmed the man was Ley.

According to the Palm Beach Post report, Ley was diving Thursday morning when became ill while he was in the water. He was pulled from the water by a Sea Tow employee, who along with Jupiter police officers began life-saving measures on the boat, police told the Palm Beach Post. He was taken to Dubois Park where Palm Beach County Fire Rescue continued to try to resuscitate him and transported him to St. Mary’s Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 11:18 a.m., the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office said.

Photos Dave Ley posted to his Facebook account reveal a young man who enjoyed a variety of adventures and had a sense of humor about life/ He's seen on hiking trips in the mountains, riding jetskis, and posing with monkeys in one and a sloth another in an unnamed exotic locale. A photo of a bear on a jetski prompted Ley to reply to jokes that he was the bear with a comment that he loved the feeling of the wind on his coat.

In one he's posing with a llama that's wearing a hat, and writes he walked miles to find a llama and put a hat on it, prompting a friend to comment that he had "the weirdest photos."

"I think the issue is not that I have weird pics, it's that I'm weird," he comments.

It was not immediately clear when Dave Ley came to New Jersey, but at least a Facebook post tagging him said he had attended Central Regional High School, graduating in 2006. A photo shows him and a friend posing in early 2013 with the Jet Star roller coaster sitting in the ocean after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore in October 2012.

His sisters in Britain posted photos of their brother:

In the United States, tributes to the Englishman from near and far painted a picture of a man as beloved in America as he was at home:

The Plumsted Fire District 1 post said funeral services had not yet been set. Both the New Egypt and Island Heights fire companies hung purple-and-black bunting to signify mourning their lost friend.

"It's not the years in your life but the life in your years. Today we celebrate the life of Firefighter/EMT David Ley," Plumsted Township FMBA 89 said on its Facebook page. "David was a per-diem employee of our department and may not have been a member of FMBA#89 but he was a true supporter of FMBA#89 and for that we will NEVER forget the smiles and laughs David gave us every shift he worked. He was a true brother to emergency services and his name will live in legend in our station walls."

Main photo via Island Heights Volunteer Fire Company 1 Facebook page