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SEBASTIAN, Fla. -ÊA search for a Warsaw man missing in the Atlantic since a boating accident Thursday was called off by the U.S. Coast Guard Saturday afternoon.
Jay Eckert, 48, Warsaw, was with his two brothers on a fishing boat in Florida Thursday night when the 22-foot fishing boat sank off the coast near Sebastian Inlet.
One of Eckert's brothers made it to shore Friday morning after treading water for 13 hours. He told the Coast Guard that the last time he saw his brothers, Jay and Sean, they were floating, clinging to a cooler.
As the ship was sinking, the men sent out a distress signal, but a clear location was not given. None of the men were wearing life jackets when the boat went down.
The U.S. Coast Guard used helicopters, rescue boats and a coast guard cutter to search for the two men, but called off the search Saturday afternoon. More than 5,300 miles were covered in the two-day search, but the men were not sighted. Boat traffic in the area over the weekend was slow due to high winds and waves, making it unlikely the two men would be spotted.
Members of Eckert's family gathered in Florida over the weekend, saying they remained hopeful that the brothers would be found.
