Fri | Mar 29, 2024

Body of second Bulgin brother recovered

Published:Friday | August 19, 2022 | 12:10 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
Emergency responders are seen in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where two Jamaican brothers went missing after jumping off the Jaws bridge. The bodies of the Clarendon siblings – Tavaughn Bulgin, 21, and Tavaris Bulgin, 26 – have been recovered.
Emergency responders are seen in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where two Jamaican brothers went missing after jumping off the Jaws bridge. The bodies of the Clarendon siblings – Tavaughn Bulgin, 21, and Tavaris Bulgin, 26 – have been recovered.
Tavaughn Bulgin, 21.
Tavaughn Bulgin, 21.
An August 17 memorial in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, for Jamaican brothers, Tavaris and Tavaughn Bulgin, who perished after jumping off the Jaws bridge Sunday night.
An August 17 memorial in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, for Jamaican brothers, Tavaris and Tavaughn Bulgin, who perished after jumping off the Jaws bridge Sunday night.
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The body of 21-year-old Tavaughn Bulgin was recovered on Thursday, four days after he, along with his older brother Tavaris, failed to resurface after a daredevil jump from a bridge in the United States.

Tavaris, 26, also died in the tragedy, and his body was recovered on Monday.

At about 11:30 a.m. yesterday, Tavaughn’s body was spotted in the Sengekontacket Pond by a fisherman, who alerted state authorities who had been searching the waters around the Jaws Bridge on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.

The District Attorney’s Office has ruled out foul play in the deaths.

Bulgin family spokesman Bishop Rhoan Parkins said that the men’s parents and two sisters, who are currently on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, had not yet viewed Tavaughn’s body when The Gleaner made contact.

“They are hoping that everything will be completed in short order so the bodies can be taken back to Jamaica,” he said.

Tavaris taught entrepreneurship at the Meadowlands Centre of Excellence in May Pen, Clarendon, while Tavaughn was a business student at The University of the West Indies.

The Bulgin brothers – the middle children of four siblings – were on seasonal employment at Normans restaurant in the town of Oak Bluffs in Martha’s Vineyard. They reportedly left work with a group of co-workers on Sunday night and headed for the bridge, which is a famous tourist attraction.

Four persons reportedly jumped into the waters below at about 11 p.m. and got into difficulties. Two were rescued, but the Bulgin brothers disappeared from sight.

The bridge is officially named American Legion Memorial Bridge but is known locally as Jaws Bridge because of its appearance in the 1975 movie Jaws. People jump from the structure into the waters below daily despite warning signs saying that the practice is prohibited because of the inherent danger.

DANGER ZONE

Oak Bluffs Fire Chief Nelson Wirtz told The Boston Globe that the waters can be dangerous, especially for novice swimmers.

“There is a pretty good current, depending on when you’re jumping in,” Wirtz said. “The water does run through there very, very fast. For someone who’s a good swimmer, it’s OK. I do not know how well these people swam. Certainly, if you’re not a strong swimmer, you’re going to have trouble.”

Doug Abdelnour, who owns Normans, has organised a fundraiser to assist the family in the face of the “unspeakable tragedy”.

Up to Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than US$185,000 (nearly J$30 million) – more than three times its goal.

The restaurant was closed on Monday and Tuesday in the wake of the tragedy but is now back in operation.

editorial@gleanerjm.com