HIGHLANDS, NJ — Local police confirmed that a 57-year-old Highlands man was found dead in the Atlantic Highlands municipal harbor last Wednesday morning. Authorities say the man drowned in what is being considered a non-suspicious death.
According to Seastreak officials, security footage showed the man boarding a commuter ferry in the early morning hours of September 24 before later stepping off the boat and back onto the dock. Crew members preparing for departure later noticed the man’s belongings left unattended on the bow of the vessel and immediately notified police.
The search quickly drew a large response from Atlantic Highlands Police, NJ State Police, and the U.S. Coast Guard. With the help of a drone, police located the body inside the breakwater wall at the municipal harbor.
Seastreak spokesman Tom Wynne clarified that the incident did not occur on the ferry itself: “The man did not fall off the ferry. What we want to clear up is the misconception that someone fell off our boat. That’s not what happened.”
The man’s identity has not yet been released by authorities. Police have confirmed his death is not being investigated as suspicious.