3 missing in Florida after boat flips near Goat Island, emergency crews suspend search: officials | FOX 35 Orlando
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3 missing in Florida after boat flips near Goat Island, emergency crews suspend search: officials

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Published  March 22, 2025 5:09pm EDT
Florida
FOX 35 Orlando

The Brief

    • Emergency crews are searching for an adult and two minors who went missing on Saturday after they capsized near Goat Island on the St. Johns River in Florida.
    • On Friday night, officials said they received a report of an overturned boat with four people on top and an additional four people possibly underneath. Reports show that no one aboard the boat was wearing a life jacket.
    • The Coast Guard said the four people on top of the boat were rescued, and one person was recovered from the water unresponsive.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UPDATE: In an update shared Saturday evening, Coast Guard officials said they are suspending their search for the three missing people. Authorities said this was due to the development of new information.

Reports show that crews searched by air and sea for 17 hours, covering more than 270 square miles.

Original story

Emergency crews are searching for an adult and two minors who went missing on Saturday after they capsized near Goast Island on the St. Johns River in Florida.

Crews launch emergency search

What we know:

Around 7 p.m. on Friday, Coast Guard officials said they received a report of an overturned 18-foot vessel with four people on top and an additional four people possibly underneath. 

Reports show that no one aboard the boat was wearing a life jacket. 

An urgent marine information broadcast was issued, which directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Mayport boat crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter crew to assist. Crews from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also launched to assist. 

Officials said they were able to rescue the four people on top of the boat. However, one person was recovered from the water unresponsive. 

A rescue surface swimmer attempted to contact the people reportedly underneath the boat, reports show, but received no responses. Divers said they also searched underneath the boat but did not locate anyone.

What we don't know:

It is currently unclear what caused the boat to capsize.

What you can do:

Anyone with information that could assist in the search is asked to contact Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville at (904) 714-7558. 

Coast Guard and partner agency crews are searching for an adult and two minors after they were capsized on Saturday near Goat Island on the St. Johns River. (Credit: United States Coast Guard)

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the United States Coast Guard in a press release and on social media on March 22, 2025.

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