August 04, 2017
The body found along the beach in Atlantic City on Thursday evening is that of a swimmer who went missing just days prior, according to multiple reports.
Officials discovered the body near the former Revel Casino Hotel shortly before 8 p.m., according to the Atlantic City Press, and it was later identified as that of Jeffrey Wilkens, 31, of Illinois, on Friday.
Pedestrians saw the body floating in the ocean and alerted authorities.
Wilkens went missing Tuesday around 9:45 p.m. The Atlantic City Police Department said it spoke to a woman who was under Steel Pier with Wilkens when he went into the ocean around 8:15 p.m.
The woman told police that she left the beach before he emerged from the water.
The U.S. Coast Gaurd, New Jersey State Police and the Atlantic City Beach Patrol conducted searches for the man earlier this week, though the Coast Guard announced that it suspended its search around 8 p.m. Wednesday.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy," Capt. Scott Anderson, commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, said in a statement obtained by Galloway Patch. "As first responders, it's always a difficult decision to suspend a search."
This story has been updated.
