On Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at approximately 2 p.m., the Aransas Pass Police Marine Division was requested by the Ingleside Police Dept. and the US Coast Guard to assist in a search and rescue operation.

Public safety crews were searching for a missing Kiewit scaffold builder who fell into the water and never resurfaced. The incident occurred on a rig that was moored at the Kiewit bulkheads inside the La Quinta ship channel near Ingleside On The Bay.

Once on scene, APPD Marine 1 and a TPWD Game Warden vessel conducted a search pattern along with the aid of a Good Samaritan boater. Marine teams utilized a side scan sonar system which gives rescuers a visual representation of what lies on the sea floor. The male victim was found using sonar and confirmed by the other vessels assisting.

An APPD Diver and a Commercial Salvage diver recovered the male victim at around 5:30 p.m. Despite wearing all appropriate safety equipment for working at height over water, the man was deceased. His inflatable PFD failed to deploy, which likely contributed to his death.

Precinct 6 San Patricio County Justice of the Peace arrived on location and pronounced death and requested an autopsy. The death investigation continues by the TPWD.

The APPD Marine division, since its inception, has established close working relationships with surrounding police agencies and public safety services. Just as we regularly depend on our partnerships with those marine-related services of the Coast Guard, TPWD, and the Port of CC Public Safety division, so too are we an integral part of that family as it pertains to our coastal waters. To learn more about our marine division and operational efforts, don't hesitate to get in touch with Harbor Safety & Enforcement Officer Jack McCarty. Ofc. McCarty directs the harbor division and all related marine operational services.