WILMINGTON -- Plans to have fun and cool off ended in tragedy in New Hanover County.
Twenty-one-year-old Justin Toliver was swimming in a sand pit filled with water when witnesses say he got tired and disappeared.
Rescue teams searched under water for Toliver's body for hours, and found it around 1:15 a.m.
Toliver was last seen swimming around 6:30 p.m. A group was swimming in a body of water off Gordon Road at what's officially called Smith Creek Park, but is more commonly known as emerald lake.
A New Hanover County spokesperson says the area is leased by a land mining company that supplies sand to the Department of Transportation.
Robert Lakeman is concerned about water safety. He said, "This is my biggest fear about the whole lake. I've told my son, I told my daughter, I said, 'this is not the place to go swimming."
A New Hanover County spokesperson says there are plans to make the area a recreational park after the mining company's lease is up in October.
Neighbors say the area has been known as a party spot and the New Hanover County Sherrif's Office often responds to calls there.
i miss u bruh
yo justin was a pretty good friend of mine...yo justin i jus wanted to say good bye kuz i never got a chance when i heard u died man i cryd 4 a while man ...now all i got is da memories of me u an rasheed an michele chillin n da george at da bus stop blowin it down man i wish i could bring dem dayz bakk man i wish i was there 2 help u man ill never forget u justin R>I>P> justin i love u my dude
hey my big brother
hey this is tapia i know u is looking down on me in heaven and u was my best bro. i ever had and i miss u i cry all day long when i found out about the news and i love u so much. an i will see u in heaven one day.
my alsome big brother
i miss u i want forget about u and u will always be in my heart love u so much.
To my cuz Justin Toliver AKA J~NYCE
I WAS THERE WHEN JUSTIN HAD PASSED NOT ON TIME....JUSTIN MAN I STILL HATE THE FACT THAT U ARE NOT ON THIS WORLD...I BLAMED MYSELF CUZ I DIDNT GET THERE IN TIME AND I BLAMED THE POLICE CUZ THEY TOOK LIKE 2 HOURS TO GET THERE SUMTIMES I DO THINK IF IT DIDNT TAKE THEM THAT LONG WOULD U STILL BE ALIVE...BUT JUSTIN U WILL AWAYS BE IN MY HEART U ARE LIKE A BROTHA TO ME AND I LOVE U TO DEATH WE WILL ALWAYS BE THINKING OF U TILL THE DAY WE PASS THEN WE WILL BE WITH U JOKING AROUND LIKE THE OLD DAYS!! MY GURL SARAH WAS JUSTINS GIRLFRIEND AND SHE STILL IS TAKING THIS PRETTY HARD STILL BUT WE ARE ALL TRYING TO GET THROUGH THIS EACH AND EVERY DAY...SEND MY WISHES TO HIS MOTHER HIS SISTER SHENA..HIS LIL BROTHER ADRAIN..HIS OLDER BROTHER RUMON AND EVERYONE ELSE IN HIS FAMILY I DIDNT MEET!!!
I LOVE YOU JUSTIN
YA LIL SIS MEGAN
Justin Toliver
I was there when justin had passed away i wasnt swimming but i got there to late...Justin was l;ike a big brother to me he dated my best friend sarah smith and i still cant belive he is gone till this day i always ask why such a wonderful person have to get taken away but then again this world is becoming worst and worst every single day...but all i would like to say is that Justin Lee Toliver was a good hearted and funny person he was one of the best guy freinds i ever had....Justin you will always be in my heart and i wiil always remember you
I LOVE YOU
YOUR LIL SIS MEGAN
DUCES
we will love you justin
your in our prayers justin, we will all miss you!!
are you serious?
Are you guys even serious right now? I was reading your all's comments and was totally blown away! This man is no longer here and all you guys can do is bicker back and forth about "tax money" and "dont talk smack". People get real, we should be praying instead of hating, we should be coming together instead of pushing each other. He is in a better place than you could ever find here on earth, dont take life for granted and spend your time a little more wisely rather than how you have been. And to justin, I kno your in heaven smiling down, and im sorry that your time came so soon. My prayers are with the family, friends and anyone who is truely touched by the situation.
I knew Justin from school i
I knew Justin from school i loved him like family when i saw the news an saw him i cried myself to sleep the next day i went a got my shirt done! I just want to say i love yall an he in a better place but he just will be missed
Comments
yo none of yall need to comment about this issue because yall did not know him. He is my brotha and always will be. If anybody has anything bad to say say it to me. DONT UTTER ANYTHING BAD ABOUT JUSTIN TOLIVER because i loved him so much. Justin to you my brotha, i know your in heaven looking down i jsut wanna say good bye. I never got a chance to say that. I love u and you are truly missed
I'm sorry
I'm sorry for your loss Hector, but I don't think anyone said anything bad about Justin. I did see where a lot of people, left nice remarks and condolences. (All but one that is. May all of you that lost a loving friend and family member find comfort and love during your grief.
oh that is so sad
what a horrible death for such a young man to go through i feel so sorry for him why wasnt anyone there to help him to try and save him . i no god is with that young man now in heaven . i choose to believe in god he shows his love to me because i believe in him and he makes miracles happen.
my dude justin
he wuz just here the other day and now he's gone i cant believe it he was like a bro to me.
Justin Toliver
In loving memory of a sweet, kind, respectful, hard working student. He brought joy to my classroom everyday until school just started to lose it's appeal for him. Such a tradgedy to lose such a promising young adult. You will be missed Justin but you won't be forgotten. Thanks for being the special person that you were.
SAD Story
This one hit close to home for me...this was a dear friend and neighbor of mine and no it wasn't like he was playing around... he drowned and that's that... so all the people that are up here talking cash need to go ahead with that.
My deepest sympathies to
My deepest sympathies to this young man's family and friends. Take care of each other.
he was my homey
i loved justin like a bro and i still do i cant deal with the fact that he's gone luv ya dog u will be in my heart
Hayden
Sheriff's Response
Well, I know if the sheriff's dive team responded, there was probably about 20 out there...Wasting taxpayer's money....Are we sure they weren't there responding to a trespassing call and kill this poor guy???
Sheriff's Response Is an Idiot
Sheriffs Response,
You seem like the type who would complain about the fact that twenty deputies responded to this call. In my opinion, this young man's life was worth it. You seem like the type who would call the police for every pathetic barking dog in your neighborhood. You probably wouldn't argue if twenty deputies responded to your call for help. As far as tax money, you seem like a real idiot who probably does not have gainful employment, thus you probably don't pay taxes. You should not refer to the monies expended to conduct this necessary investigation as "our tax money". GOOD TRY!
A-men to that sherriff's
A-men to that sherriff's response!!!
The Swimmer
This was not a knock on the swimmer at all...It is a shame what happened and I certainly don't wish harm and death on anyone...It was knock on the Sheriff's dept. and their ability to overreact, over-respond, not be there when someone needs them and be there too much when people don't...
To Sheriff Response
Sheriff response You stated it was a "knock on the Sheriffs Office" you felt that they "over-responded" and "overreacted" but I bet had it been you or one of your loved ones missing in the lake you would be saying that they under reacted or under-responded. You are part of the problem in this town. You probably expect when you call 911 that an officer should be at your house before you ever hang up the telephone. Now you are on here back pedaling because you stuck your foot in your mouth. You seem to be so knowledgeable about what happened you should have been in the water looking or assisting in the rescue attempt. I agree with the other individual who posted that you are probably one of those people who call 911 for every little thing like a barking dog because you have nothing better to do then complain about everything. If your not part of the solution YOU are part pf the problem!
Complain
Yep...you got it right...I have no job, and call 911 constantly to complain about dogs, parties, loud conversation, cars driving by too many times, suspicious bikes parked at a playground, suspicious people walking in masks on Halloween...etc...If you can't tell, I was in law enforcement and have dealt with all the idiots like you and every other moron on here that have no idea what true 911 calls mean, or what is happening when police over respond and over react...Law enforcement doesn't need to be in the water searching for a swimmer who is missing, not if fire and rescue are ALSO there searching in the water. There is a better than average chance the cop doesn't know anything more than basic first aide and CPR....Paramedics and fire personnel are more equipped to handle this. What are YOU doing for your community? I have served this community and did not like the way the 2 departments are/were run and moved on.
Glad you moved on
Sheriff Response I believe the entire community that you worked in are probably thankful every day that you moved on. Why don't you explain what it means when law enforcement "over-responds." You say you understand the true meaning of 911 because you were in law enforcement but I think you are someone who couldn't "hack it" as an LEO. Do you even know the level of First Aid that a Rescue Diver is trained in? If you are so unhappy with the way Law-Enforcement is run in this community, do all of us a favor and Move!
You are back
Your comment; "I was in law enforcement and have dealt with all the idiots like you and every other moron on here" puts you back on my list of tail wholes. You are condescending and so far out of social norms that NOT ONE response to your comments has been positive. Your post makes almost no sense. Like... are you really unemployed?... how would we knoe you were in law enforcement?... do you really call the emergency # to report non-emergencies?
You know-I think he just
You know-I think he just used bad judgment on where to post his opinion against law enforcement. He needed to put it on the other post where everyone is downing law enforcement.Actually your post is a little confusing with the misspelled words and such.Come on now, people should just be offering condolences.
I'm glad
I'm glad you responded this way. Your first post seemed a little over the top. What happened to this young swimmer seems just tragic and I'm glad the emergency response was signifigant.
Sheriffs response, you are
Sheriffs response, you are one cold hearted SOB. I cant believe another human being would say something so horrible.
Public Funds
I cannot believe that you would be so dumb as to actually put something like that in print. Every family has a right to closure. Im sure that this young man's parents and siblings were happy that the public cared enough to retrieve his body so they could have a proper burial.
Your a jerk..hope your family never goes through something so awful
Sheriffs response
My thing is...Why did it take the Sheriffs dept. 2 hrs to respond to the call. Maybe he could've been saved. If the situation were any different then drastic measures would have been taken. I didn't personally know the GENTLEMAN but my nieces knew him and I heard nothing but good things. My heart goes out to his mother.I couldn't imagine losing my son. Leave him and his family alone and allow them to mourn. Accidents happen!!We have all made mistakes. He was young and just having fun....How can you say taxpayers money was wasted? What if he was your child? I would gladly give anything I had to help someone in need!
Tax payers
I don't think there is one tax payer that would have objected to spending millions on this person to save him! My tax money has gone for much much worse stuff!
Reply to Sheriffs Response
Maybe you'll need them in the future, and maybe they won't waste our tax money by responding.
um no....i know his famiy
um no....i know his famiy andi know wat happened.. he was like a brother to me...he drowned so please keep that comment to ya self...
Yeah...
Does this thing have a spell check? That'd be really nice...
But yeah, that comment about a getting a different call, then the police dept. killing the boy is about as messed up as they come. Karma buddy.