OCEAN CITY — The search for a Pennsylvania man who went missing during a swim in the ocean early Sunday morning met with tragic conclusion on Tuesday morning as the victim’s body was recovered near the Inlet.
Around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Coast Guard Sector Baltimore received a call reporting the missing swimmer, identified as James Benjamin Lenhart, 37, of Soudertown, Pa. Lenhart had last been seen in the area of Caroline Street around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday. Ocean City Police were on the scene responding while a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Ocean City and another crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City were launched to initiate a search for the missing swimmer. In addition, a Maryland State Police helicopter crew also assisted with the search.
The Coast Guard and allied law enforcement agencies searched the area throughout the day on Sunday to no avail. The Coast Guard and its partners searched a 55-square nautical mile area throughout the day before the search was officially suspended on Sunday evening. Coast Guard officials said the decision to suspend the search was a weighty one.
“After more than 10 hours of cumulative search efforts by the Coast Guard and our partner agencies, the Coast Guard made the difficult decision to suspend the search,” said Commander Michael Keane, chief of response at Coast Guard Sector Baltimore. “This decision is never an easy one, and our thoughts are with the families of the missing man.”
The family got some measure of closure on Monday when Lenhart’s body was recovered near the Inlet. On Monday morning, Ocean City Police responded to the Inlet for a report of a body in the water. The body, which was recovered by the Coast Guard, was later confirmed to be that of the missing Lenhart.
Lenhart’s remains have been transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy, during which the cause and manner of death will be determined.
For the Town of Ocean City, Tuesday’s recovery marked the second ocean fatality in as many days after a young girl reportedly drown and the third in a little over a week. A man died from cardiac arrest after being rescued in the ocean on Saturday, Aug. 29.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the young man, whose life was cut way too short,” said Ocean City Communications Director Jessica Waters on Tuesday. “We take a certain sense of pride in keeping people safe when they visit Ocean City.”
Waters said the fatality hit home for the resort’s emergency responders and served as a reminder of the dangers from swimming at night when the lifeguards are not on duty.
“We have fantastic public safety employees who dedicate their lives to protecting our residents and visitors, so when we experience a loss of life in Ocean City, it really affects us all,” said Waters. “It’s a terrible reminder of the unpredictability of the ocean and the importance of swimming only when the lifeguards are on duty.”
