Boater dies just feet from land when he dives in to find cellphone, US cops say

The 69-year-old West Virginia resident is believed to have suffered ‘a medical episode’ while attempting to retrieve his friend’s cellphone in the water, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 9 news release. — Image by freepik

A man boating along Florida’s Gulf Coast died just feet from land, when he chased after a phone that fell overboard at the dock, according to investigators.

The 69-year-old West Virginia resident is believed to have suffered “a medical episode” in the water, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 9 news release. His identity has not been released.