Boater's body found in Mobile Bay

DAPHNE, Ala. (WALA) - Daphne fire crews say the body of 68-year-old John Ethridge was found floating near his boat in Mobile Bay. Early Friday morning, Ethridge was pulled from the water to a pier on Village Drive. FOX10 News spoke with the man who made the discovery and called police.

Andy Citrin remembers it all.

"We were getting ready to take the kids to school," said Citrin.

He was just starting his day around 7:30 a.m., when he noticed something out of the ordinary in Mobile Bay.

"My daughter saw a boat spinning around in a circle and she said 'daddy what's that?' And I looked out and I said 'that's a boat without an operator,'" said Citrin.

So he called police.

Daphne Search and Rescue found Ethridge's body about 300 feet from his boat.

It was a sight that Citirin won't easily erase from his memory.

"That boat just kept going around and around," said Citrin.

Fire crews say they have no idea how long the body had been in the water. But they pulled it out shortly after 8:00 a.m. and pronounced the man dead on the scene.

"It appears that he fell and hit his head and fell out of the boat," said Chief David Carpenter.

Rescue crews were afraid a second person may have been in the water, so a full search was conducted. About two hours later, they called off the search after determining Ethridge was alone.

"There was no body warmth, no pulse just really sad," said Citrin.

Life jackets were on the boat. But recovery teams say he was not wearing one when he was found.

Marine Police say there were strong winds, but it is unclear at this point if that had anything to do with the incident.