LAKE WORTH BEACH, FL — An urgent search is underway on Lake Osborne for an adult man who disappeared after going out on a jet ski Sunday night. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the jet ski was later found floating with no one aboard, prompting a search that began around 8 p.m.
Officials from FWC and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are leading the effort. The man was last seen Sunday night, and by Monday evening authorities had confirmed the missing person was an adult male. Investigators have described the case as an active investigation as crews continue to work the lake.
Search crews focus on boat ramp area near Lake Worth Road and I-95
The search is centered near a boat ramp on Lake Osborne, just south of Lake Worth Road and west of Interstate 95. That area has become the main command point as deputies and wildlife officers work from the shoreline and water.
One official on scene said three different kinds of sonar are being used to help scan the lake. The water conditions are making the effort more difficult, with poor visibility and depths that range from about one foot to 25 feet. Those factors can complicate both surface searching and sonar readings, especially in a lake of mixed depth.
Authorities have not said how the man ended up in the water or whether any distress call was made before the jet ski was found empty. The focus remains on finding him and determining what happened Sunday night.
Lake conditions and heavy equipment complicate the effort
Lake Osborne’s conditions are playing a major role in the search. Visibility is limited, and the varying depth means crews must search carefully across shallow and deeper sections of the lake. That makes it harder to rule out areas quickly, even with equipment designed to detect objects underwater.
Using multiple sonar systems suggests crews are trying to cover different ranges and angles as they search the water near the boat ramp and surrounding sections of the lake. Officials have not released details about the size of the search area or how long they expect the operation to continue.
FWC has said only that the investigation remains active. So far, no additional information has been released about the man’s identity, what he was doing on the jet ski, or whether weather or lake traffic played any role.
Residents near the shoreline describe a tense scene
People walking near the lake on Sunday and Monday saw the search unfold in real time. One Lake Worth Beach resident, Yilena Ortiz, said the scene was intense and that some riders on the water were acting recklessly. Her comments reflected concern among nearby residents watching authorities work along the shore.
Ortiz also said she and others around the lake were surprised that the incident happened, especially because jet skis are a familiar sight there. Her remarks did not change the official facts of the case, but they underscore how quickly a routine recreation spot turned into a search area.
As of Monday evening, investigators were still trying to locate the missing man. FWC and the sheriff’s office have not announced any recovery or further developments.
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