Man’s body found by paddleboarder in waters off Jacksonville Beach Curtis Newkirk Jr., 19, went missing in the ocean on Sunday
Jacksonville Beach Pier (Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.)
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A Jacksonville Beach paddleboarder on Wednesday morning found the body of a man floating about 100 yards offshore, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
The grisly discovery was made around 10:30 a.m. about 10 blocks north of the Jacksonville Beach Pier.
Police said the paddleboarder pulled the body to shore but the agency did not release the man’s identity.
It’s unclear if the man found Wednesday is Curtis Newkirk Jr., 19, who went missing in the ocean south of the Jacksonville Beach pier Sunday evening . Newkirk was swimming with a group when some of them went into distress, lifeguards said. Everyone else made it to the shore, but he was nowhere to be found.
Police said no further information will be available until a positive identification can be made by the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.
About the Author Travis Gibson headshot
Executive Reporter who has lived in Jacksonville for over 30 years and helps reporters develop meaningful and impactful community stories.
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes ▶ 0:59
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County ▶ 0:55
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive! ▶ 0:24
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive!
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him ▶ 0:21
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast ▶ 2:28
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’ ▶ 0:40
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚 ▶ 1:33
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting ▶ 1:15
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor! ▶ 0:58
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor!
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon ▶ 0:53
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died ▶ 1:32
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year ▶ 0:38
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4 ▶ 0:47
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds ▶ 0:48
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms ▶ 0:33
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation ▶ 0:37
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message ▶ 0:54
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia ▶ 0:34
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags? ▶ 0:54
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags?
Hurricane season 2025 comes to a close on Sunday ▶ 1:05
Hurricane season 2025 comes to a close on Sunday
Fireworks at Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:27
Fireworks at Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest
DoorDash driver drops food and puts it back in box ▶ 0:13
DoorDash driver drops food and puts it back in box
Christmas tree lighting at Jacksonville’s Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:59
Christmas tree lighting at Jacksonville’s Holiday River Fest
Views from Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:53
Views from Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest
Micah Anderson with the dagger!! 🗡️🗡️ ▶ 0:21
Micah Anderson with the dagger!! 🗡️🗡️
Previous photo Next photo 