JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The body that was spotted by a paddleboarder about 100 yards offshore at Jacksonville Beach on Wednesday has been identified as 19-year-old Curtis Newkirk Jr., according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
Rob Street, a resident in the area, said he was standing on his balcony Wednesday when he saw the waves tossing something around. That’s when the Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue arrived at the scene around 10:24 a.m., and pronounced the teen dead.
Newkirk was reported missing on Sunday morning when he went swimming in the ocean at Jacksonville Beach, just south of the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
