VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Police say that a man drowned in the waters off Croatan Beach on Thursday.
Officers began a death investigation Thursday morning on Croatan Beach after dispatchers initially received a call about a medical emergency.
Bruce Nedelka with Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services said that the call was for a cardiac arrest in the 900 block of S. Atlantic Ave. Nedelka said the case switched to a death investigation and that the Virginia Beach Police Department was handling the investigation.
Master Police Officer Linda Kuehn said the body was that of a man whom officers believe drowned before his body washed ashore. Kuehn said the man was somewhere in his 30s to 50s. Someone found his body and called emergency dispatchers.
Neighbors said the man had been surfing and still was attached to his board when his body came onshore.
Nedelka said the drowning is the sixth in Virginia Beach in the year. Most of those were the result of medical conditions or emergencies.