Body of one of the Jamaican brothers who leapt off 'Jaws' bridge is found, younger brother still missing
EDGARTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS: The two men who went missing after jumping off a well-known Martha’s Vineyard bridge have been identified as brothers from Jamaica. The duo had been pursuing a seasonal job in the region. One of the brothers, Tavaris Bulgin, 26, was found dead early Monday, the Cape and Islands district attorney confirmed.
However, the search for the younger brother, Tavaughn Bulgin, 21, was suspended Tuesday afternoon because of extreme weather conditions. The officials were unable to locate him as of Wednesday. The siblings are based out of Jamaica and belong to a pastor family.
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They were among four people who leaped from the 'Jaws' bridge into 15 feet of water on Sunday, August 14, the prosecutor’s office said. However, out of the four, two jumpers made it safely out of the water. Meanwhile, the Bulgin brothers began to struggle in the strong current and extreme conditions. The duo was unable to reach the shore. The US Coast Guard, and state and local police were quick to respond and began searching in the water for the siblings. Around 6:30 am on Monday, August 15, Tavaris’ body was recovered. The team returned to the scene on Tuesday, August 16, armed with a side-scan sonar device to search for Tavaughn, who was missing and presumed to be dead.
The search was halted at 3 pm due to extreme weather conditions. The Bulgin brothers were seasonal workers at Nomans Restaurant in Martha’s Vineyard. Their father, the Rev Keith Bulgin, is a pastor at a church in the family’s hometown of Clarendon, Jamaica, stated New York Post.
Doug Abdelnour, the owner of Nomans in Oak Bluffs, where the brothers were working before the incident, started a GoFundMe campaign for the funeral cost of the brothers. "The costs of travel, transport, funeral and memorial services add up quickly, and our goal is to ease the burden on the family by allowing them the space and time to grieve without worrying about access to sufficient funds to lay their sons to rest properly. All donations will go to the Bulgin family," stated the campaign note. "Tavaris and Tavaughn left an impression on everyone they met - at 26 and 21 years old, their bright smiles, charismatic personalities, unshakeable faith and unrelenting positive attitude made them an absolute joy to be around. They were from Clarendon, Jamaica - both men grew up in the church, studied business at UTech and University of West Indies, played music in the church and were active in their father's ministry," the statement added.
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