WILDWOOD — State Police have confirmed the body of a male was found off the coast of Wildwood Sun., Sept 2.
According to Lt. Stephen Jones, the body was found and reported by a passing yacht. “At approximately 2:50 p.m., a boat captain, about six nautical miles off the coast of Wildwood found a body,” said Jones.
The captain of the vessel contacted Coast Guard rescue personnel who responded to the scene. The unidentified body was pronounced deceased at 5:32 p.m. by a forensic nurse from the Medical Examiner’s Office and was taken to Shore Medical Center in Somers Point for an autopsy. That examination was scheduled for Tue., Sept. 7.
There was no confirmation that the body was that of Middle Township police officer Jason Sill.
Sill, 39, went missing Mon., Aug. 27 when his boat, a 23-foot Nautic Star, named the Rock ‘n’ Reel, was found with no one on board about one mile off the coast of Wildwood. A Good Samaritan found the boat and reported it to authorities.
Coast Guard Station Cape May arrived on scene and discovered the keys in the ignition, engine in the down position and throttle forward. Fishing poles were also discovered on the boat.
Coast Guard assets were used to search for Sill and were terminated Tue., Aug. 28 at 10 p.m. State Police, Middle Township police and other local agencies continued their search.
“We’re going to keep our boat in the water until he is located,” said Middle Township Police Capt. John Edwards in an Aug. 31 interview with this newspaper.
According to Jones, while State Police continue to patrol waters off the coast, their search for Sill has been terminated.
