FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – The body of an 18-year-old man was found Thursday, a day after he fell off a personal watercraft in the Mantanzas River in Flagler County.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Ritchy Volmar, of Palm Coast, was located Thursday afternoon by search crews.
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Volmar fell into the water around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday near Bing’s Landing Park in Palm Coast.
Divers found Volmar’s body in the same area around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the family during this difficult time,” the FWC said.
Volmar’s cause of death has not been determined.
A search involving helicopters, dive teams and crews using sonar was conducted Wednesday before being suspended due to darkness. The search resumed Thursday.
“My emotions are all over the place. I don’t know what to feel,” Rosechelly Medina, a close friend of Volmar’s, said Wednesday night.
Medina said Volmar and his friend, Dyson Richardson, hit a wave and fell off the personal watercraft she had purchased two days ago.
“When they hit the wave, they flipped and when they flipped, they both flew off and he was screaming for help,” Medina said.
HAPPENING NOW: Search teams are back in the water to try and find an 18-year-old who went missing Wednesday after falling from a personal watercraft. https://t.co/c1qbcaFVSj pic.twitter.com/PFM0fa9bDd
— Mark Lehman (@MarkLehman6) February 25, 2021
Richardson was the last person to see Volmar.
“I had the life jacket on and he didn’t, so I tried to swim to the Jet Ski to get on board,” Richardson said.
Richardson said by the time he got to the Jet Ski, Volmar was gone.
Crews said the water is about 15 feet deep in the area.