The sorrowful saga that gripped Miami over the weekend has reached a tragic conclusion, with the recovery of a man's body from the Miami River earlier today. The man, identified as Abraham Mgowano, was confirmed by Miami Police to have tragically overboard from a boat on Saturday afternoon. The discovery was made near a bridge close to the 300 block of Northwest 2nd Street, as per a report from NBC Miami.
A comprehensive search was launched immediately following the incident, with Miami Fire Rescue divers and the U.S. Coast Guard quickly trying to find the 35-year-old Berkeley, California resident, only to later suspend their search on Saturday night. The boat was reportedly waiting for the 5th Street bridge to raise when Mgowano fell into the water near Northwest North River Drive and Northwest 4th Street. It took divers hours to comb through the waters in hopes of locating the man, said a report by Hoodline.
Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who spearheaded the investigation, confirmed the body's identity as Mgowano's. According to FWC, he was among 12 passengers on a 44-foot cabin cruiser before the mishap occurred. The body's recovery was documented by footage from Chopper 6, showing a Miami Fire Rescue boat removing the body from the water. "Our thoughts are with Mr. Mgowano’s friends and family during this difficult time," FWC stated in a statement obtained by NBC Miami.
The river had to be briefly closed to marine traffic during the search, which caused divers to quickly to fan out and scour a stretch between the Flagler SW 1st Street bridge and the NW 5th Street bridge. The search detail encompassed specialized divers from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission along with Miami and Miami-Dade fire rescue departments. Despite the closure of the Miami River during the search, marine traffic resumed around 6:30 p.m. the same evening.
