NEW ORLEANS — A Tangipahoa Parish man is dead after he was somehow ejected from his boat in South Pass Manchac.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents recovered the body of 66-year-old Edward Ridgel Jr. around 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning.
Authorities say Ridgel's family reported that he was missing around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after he launched his boat in the morning to go fishing.
A crab fisherman later spotted an unmanned aluminum vessel around 7:15 a.m. Thursday. Agents later discovered Ridgel's body 30 minutes later about 30 feet from the boat.
Investigators say it is unknown at this time how Ridgel was ejected from the boat. The Tangipahoa Parish Coroner's Office will determine an official cause of death.
The LDWF said Ridgel was not wearing a life jacket when his body was found.
