Manasquan capsized boat: Search operation ‘ongoing’ one week after Brick man went missing
MANASQUAN - Divers from the New Jersey State Police were working on the Monmouth County side of the Manasquan Inlet on Wednesday as the search continues for Derek Narby, who has been missing since his family’s boat capsized one week ago.
A small flotilla of patrol boats maintained a protective boundary around the divers as other boats — such as large commercial vessels — came and went through the inlet.
When asked how long authorities planned to continue the search operation for the 21-year-old Brick man, a spokesperson for the State Police did not directly address the question. The Coast Guard suspended its involvement on Friday night.
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“The search operation is currently ongoing, with no new developments to report at this time,” replied Detective Jeffrey Lebron, the State Police spokesman.
On Wednesday, police had also taped off walking access to the inlet jetty rocks.
On the Point Pleasant Beach side of the inlet, an unidentified person had left a white board and markers for the public to write on it. A note suggested that it be used to leave prayers.
Messages posted on the board included “God — Please Guide Derek Home ❤ Love and prayers;” “Please return to your family, prayers” and “Praying for your return,” among many others.
One or more people left flowers and a baseball for Narby, who as a child played in the Brick Little League.
At the Little League complex on Cherry Quay Road in Brick on Wednesday night, a tribute book, a box for placing memories of Narby and another box for donations were set up at the refreshment stand.
Despite efforts by authorities to keep onlookers away, a number of people gathered along the inlet Wednesday. Most were local anglers who had come to fish for fluke, as they would on any other September day. Among them, an ebb and flow of gawkers moved to see for themselves the search mission still underway — some even came with binoculars.
On Sunday, divers found the stern portion of the 1987 Aquasport — in which Narby, his father and brother were aboard — in about 30 feet of water off the north jetty of the inlet, according to the State Police.
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The 31-foot boat — called the Kaboom — struck the north jetty at the top of the high tide just before 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 14, as conditions offshore were beginning to deteriorate from the effects of Hurricane Lee. The vessel broke up into pieces, with parts of the boat eventually washing ashore as far south as Seaside Heights.
Manasquan Inlet cam
A video of the boat capsizing, which was captured on a surf webcam positioned near the inlet, has been posted on social media. The footage shows the boat in relative darkness with its running lights on, approaching the entrance to the inlet, where the vessel slows and then appears to linger for more than 90 seconds before its demise. Bobbing up and down in the surf, a searchlight aboard the Kaboom is activated. The beam pans the inlet and its shoreline for about 25 seconds before a large ocean wave can be seen moving toward the boat, slamming into it and immediately tipping it over, before the vessel’s lights disappear beneath the surf.
Ultimately, David Narby and one of his two sons aboard were able to swim to the safety of responding local rescuers on the Ocean County side of the inlet.
Elsewhere online, a GoFundMe campaign to assist the Narby family during the ordeal had raised almost $4,000 as of Wednesday night.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporters Dan Radel at dradel@gannettnj.com and Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Boating accident Manasquan Inlet: NJ police continue search for Narby
