A 21-year-old man died Monday after being pulled from the waters near Peterborg Point on St. Thomas. The 911 emergency call center received a call reporting the man in distress, prompting a swift response from St. Thomas Rescue, the V.I. Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.
St. Thomas Rescue deployed an incident commander and a drone unit equipped with AI-powered technology to assist in the search. A patrol vessel from VIPD located the man approximately three-quarters of a mile from the rocky coastline, according to a St. Thomas Rescue release.
According to responders, the man appeared to be among a group of three that were cliff-jumping off the point.
The VIPD patrol boat “that scooped him up might have already been on patrol with how fast they got there to scoop him up,” said St. Thomas Rescue Public Information Officer Chris Watson.
Officers began lifesaving measures immediately and transported him to Hull Bay Beach, where Fire and Emergency crews were waiting. Despite their efforts, the man could not be revived.
“We remind the public to avoid Peterborg Point, which has a history of incidents like this. It is especially crucial to exercise extreme caution around water, particularly during bad weather,” Watson said in the release.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the water rescue to a Coast Guard patrol. It was the V.I. Police Department marine unit.
