Body in ocean near Barnegat Light identified as missing Belmar man

BARNEGAT LIGHT — A body of a man found a mile from shore has been identified as a 30-year-old Belmar man.

State Police spokesman Lt. Ted Schafer said Christopher Lucin was last seen on Tuesday, Sept. 19.  The Coast Guard discovered his body a mile off shore on Monday morning and turned it over to State Police.

An autopsy is pending to determine a cause of death.

A High Surf Advisory was in effect on the day he went missing, with the first high tide from Hurricane Jose battering the Jersey Shore with 8-15 foot waves and beach erosion. The pilings of an  ocean pier in Belmar replaced after Superstorm Sandy suffered damage during the morning high tide.

Lucin's family said he liked to walk on the beach but was not a swimmer.

Schafer said it's not clear where Lucin was last seen and his death remained under investigation.

Three people died this weekend in the rough surf in Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant Beach and Long Branch.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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