MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - As a family continues to search for a 29-year-old paddleboarder who’s been reported missing since Monday, his cousin is asking for extra assistance to find him.
Luciano Mercenari left his family’s Key Biscayne home to go paddleboarding at about 5:15 Monday evening and hasn’t been seen since.
The family is now asking any pilots to fly over the area and keep their eyes open for any signs of him.
“We really need help with drones and planes from Orlando to Palm Beach,” said Allegra Jacchia, Mercenari’s cousin, in a TikTok video.
A Coast Guard spokesperson on Thursday told 7News that they are still classifying their operation as a search and rescue, which means they believe Mercenari is still alive.
The U.S. Coast Guard said someone found his board and a gear bag about eight to 11 miles offshore between Miami and Fort Lauderdale early Wednesday morning.
Due to the currents, the Coast Guard has expanded their search north and east and are focusing on using aerials.
“And these are the instructions for the pilots. They have to go 12 nautical miles east of the coast and from there, they need to do S-turns until five or six nautical miles east of the coast,” said Jacchia. “If you have resources, please DM me.”
Since Mercenari went missing, his family has been using social media to also get the attention of Garmin Fitness
“He was wearing this watch from the brand Garmin, which is a trackable watch. Similar to an Apple watch, we could potentially follow his location,” said Jacchia on social media. “We’re trying to understand if there’s anything, anything we can do, because this could literally save Lucio’s life.”
After hundreds of comments, Garmin responded on their post and wrote, “Garmin has been in touch with local police in Key Biscayne since early Tuesday morning. We will do whatever we can to support efforts to locate Luciano.”
Jacchia has been active on social media and said an executive from the company is flying to Miami with special equipment to help locate that watch.
In the meantime, Mercenari’s family is still praying for his return.
“We need all the help we can get,” said Jacchia. “Today, it’s going to be almost 72 hours since we lost him and, you know, every minute is critical.”
On Thursday, 300 people joined a virtual prayer session for Mercenari’s safe return.
“We ask if you can please continue to pray for Luke, his family, for his friends and for all the good Samaritans that have stepped in and answered the call for assistance,” said Milly Beltran with Immaculate-La Salle High School.
“Luke has a great heart, and our greatest desire is that we want him to come home. For Luke, the ocean was his life, and it is our prayer that the ocean will take the time to bring him back home to us,” said Beltran. “As we turn to bury our mother, we ask her to continue to cover Luke with her mantle of protection and we trust that wherever he is, she is there with him.”
The Coast Guard met with Mercenari’s family to figure out a plan of action.
A Mass for Mercenari is being held at St. Agnes Catholic Parish, located at 100 Harbor Drive, Thursday evening.
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