Massachusetts man drowns at Trunk Bay in St. John

CRUZ BAY — Police are investigating a possible drowning of a Massachusetts man in St. John just after noon on Monday.

Chris Laslocky, 49, of East Brookfield, was positively identified as the drowning victim, the Virgin Islands Police Department and social media said.

The investigation began at 12:30 p.m. Monday, when officers were notified of a possible drowning victim at Trunk Bay beach in St. John, according to the VIPD.

Laslocky was observed swimming out at a far distance from the shoreline and began to take in water, police said.

The swimmer then sought refuge on a nearby outcropping of rocks and subsequently became unresponsive, according to police.

“Bystanders then contacted emergency medical services for assistance, however, the male
succumbed to his ailments after life-saving measures were unsuccessful,” VIPD spokeswoman Sakeeda Freeman said.

LinkedIn says that Laslocky worked as a “metals and sales management professional” for EMJ Metals in Massachusetts.

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John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.