The family of a “professional diver and spearfisher” is appealing for help from sailing companies after Luciano Mercenari went missing this week while paddleboarding off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida.
Mercenari was wearing a Garmin diving watch with GPS at the time of his disappearance, his cousin Allegra Jacchia said in a social media post, calling on the company to release his location.
Jacchia’s post went viral with the hashtag “#FindLuc” and tagged Garmin in the hope that the company would take further action to locate Mercenari.
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“He was wearing a Garmin dive watch,” Jacchia said. “We contacted the company, but they told us there was no way to track his location because the watch hadn’t been synced with his phone since March.”
“We are asking for more information and pleading with them to help us find a solution. There must be a way, but they are not very supportive.”
Key Biscayne Police have filed a missing persons report detailing the disappearance of Luciano Mercenari, who was last seen wearing a long white T-shirt with a right side. (Key Biscayne Police Department/Allegra Jacchia)
“We know this must be extremely worrying for Luciano Mercenari’s family and friends,” a Garmin spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Garmin has been in contact with local police in Key Biscayne since early Tuesday morning and has responded to inquiries from the family via email. We will continue to do all we can to assist in efforts to locate Luciano.”
According to Key Biscayne Police, Mercenari was last seen on security camera footage leaving his home just after 5 p.m. on Monday. He was wearing a “white long-sleeved shirt, black and red shorts” and carrying a gray backpack, police said.
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Luciano Mercenari went missing while paddleboarding off the coast of Florida on Monday, but his paddleboard was found completely intact by a civilian. (Allegra Jacchia/Key Biscayne Police Department)
“Please understand that he is a professional diver and an accomplished spearfisherman. He knows the water very well, so this type of behavior was not unusual for him,” Jacchia said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Mr Jacchia said his paddleboard – a teal and orange Nifian inflatable – was found intact nearby by a civilian sometime between 10.30pm on Monday and 12am on Tuesday, and police were called.
In addition to paddle boarding, Jacchia said,[Luciano’s] Wet Bag [was] The paddleboard was loaded with a mask, snorkel, gloves and water bottle. The paddleboard was found 3.5 miles off the coast of Pompano.”
The Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard and police from Miami-Dade and Key Biscayne counties are involved in the search for Marcener, “searching by boat, helicopter and plane,” Jacchia said. “We’re trying everything we can to find him. We’re a very close-knit family and we’re very sad, but we haven’t lost hope.”
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Key Biscayne Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Anyone with information regarding Mercenari’s whereabouts is asked to contact Key Biscayne Police at 305-365-5555.
