An Indiana man was found dead Tuesday after falling from a cliff in Puerto Rico while attempting to film social media videos.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Edgar Garay, 27, was on a recreational day trip to the southwest coast of Puerto Rico on Sunday. He was last seen alive at 5:37 p.m. on the edge of a cliff near a lighthouse in Cabo Rojo.
USCG rescue units began searching for Garay around 6:50 p.m. Sunday after watchstanders in Sector San Juan received a call from a 911 operator who initially reported the incident. A woman at the scene also told watchstanders she saw Garay stumble toward the edge of the cliff.
A MH-60T helicopter was then deployed from Air Station Borinquen and multiple search patterns were conducted overnight in search for the missing man.
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The search ended Monday afternoon when the Puerto Rico Emergency Bureau dive unit found Garay's body submerged in water, 70 feet below the cliff he was last seen standing on.
In an interview with WTHR in Indiana, Garay's brother Carlos said he was on the cliff with their cousin, who repeatedly warned him to stay away from the edge while filming a TikTok video.
"My brother has a TikTok account that he loved to upload videos to," Carlos Garay told the outlet. "Unfortunately, that was what he was trying to do when he was closer to the edge than he should have been."
Carlos also said his brother was found in an underwater cave with massive head injuries from the 70-foot fall.
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The Puerto Rico Joint Forces of Rapid Action's marine unit helped move Garay's body to the shore for local authorities and emergency response agencies in Cabo Rojo, according to the USCG.
"We express our most heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Edgar Garay and pray they find closure and strength during this most difficult time," said Capt. José E. Díaz, Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander. "We appreciate the efforts of all the Coast Guard, Puerto Rico Police and partner agency emergency responders, especially the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau dive unit that was able to locate Mr. Garay’s body in such a highly inaccessible and challenging environment."
In addition to the helicopter, the Coast Guard said 154-foot fast response Cutter Richard Dixon and a HC-144 Ocean Sentry fixed wing aircraft assisted in the search for Garay.
