Massive search on for 2 firefighters missing for days after fishing trip

A tackle bag belonging to one of two firefighters who never returned from a fishing trip off the coast of Florida on Friday was found Monday amid a massive multi-agency search.

Brian McCluney, a member of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, and Justin Walker, a Fairfax, Virginia, firefighter, were last seen leaving a dock near Port Canaveral in a 24-foot fishing boat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. They were reported missing after they did not return home Friday night as expected.

McCluney’s wife, Stephanie Young McCluney, wrote on Facebook on Monday that search crews had found her husband’s tackle bag about 50 miles off the coast of St. Augustine, which is more than 100 miles north of Port Canaveral. The Coast Guard confirmed that a volunteer had found the bag.

Brian McCluney and Justin Walker.via WESH

“I wholeheartedly believe this is a breadcrumb they threw overboard to say ‘we are here, come find us,'” Young McCluney wrote. “I am standing firm on my face in prayer and that this be our Lord and savior guiding our path.”

The Coast Guard, the Navy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation agency, the Brevard County Sheriffs Office and more than 100 volunteers have joined in the search with crews on the water, in the air and on the shore.

The Coast Guard said Monday that the search had so far covered 46,800 square miles over 108 hours.

On Monday alone, over 135 volunteers, including dozens of firefighters, searched 5,000 square miles, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. The department urged the public to report any debris sightings to the Coast Guard and asked those who couldn’t help in the search to donate to support efforts to find the two men.

“I’ve seen the incredible support the families of these two men are receiving on social media,” said Jacksonville Director of Air and Marine Operations Jesse Wozniak. “There are a lot of people working to find them and praying for their safety.”

“Friends, family and Public safety pros are working hard,” echoed Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. “While they work, Pray. Prayer is powerful.”