INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — A weekend swim in the ocean off Vero Beach is something Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said Jonathan Michael Christy did often.
"His wife told us that this was a normal occurrence for them to go out,” Flowers said. "And that he would go out and do laps and he had a snorkel and a mask, and he would go and swim laps for exercise."
Routine. Except, according to Flowers, his wife said Christy never returned Saturday.
"She went and looked for sometime along the beach to see if he had gotten out of the water and she didn’t see him at that point she began to panic and that’s when she called us," Flowers said.
Christy, 46, was last seen at approximately 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the ocean close to 950 Reef Road in Vero Beach.
The response on Saturday? Swift, according to nearby resident Anna Lana
"We saw two boats out there with flashing lights and the Coast Guard,” Lana said, "and when you see the Coast Guard you say 'oh no that doesn’t look good.' "
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Coast Guard took to social media to get a jump on what's officially being called a missing person's case. Flowers said they aren't ruling out any possibilities.
"There are some concerns if this is a missing, endangered person at this may have been a suicide attempt,” he said.
The search was still active today.
WPTV reached out to Christy’s family and are waiting to hear back. In the meantime, Lana said, "still always hope yeah."