Statue To Honor Lives Lost At Sea In Place On Jupiter Beach

Photo: CBS 12

A statue now stands at the Jupiter Inlet, commissioned by the family of one of two boys lost at sea nearly six years ago.

Saturday will mark the anniversary of the disappearance of Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, two 14-year old friends who set sail for a fishing trip from the Inlet on July 24, 2015 and never returned.

Their boat was found near Bermuda the following year.

The AustinBlu Foundation, named in Austin's honor, unveiled the statue at Jupiter Beach Park on Thursday.

Austin's father, Blu Stephanos, was on hand.

“This statue is really a big gratitude from us, saying thank you for lifting us up in our time of need, when we were just lost and we didn’t know what to do.”

The statue doesn't feature Austin or Perry. It's a sculpture of a man and a woman looking out to sea.

Those behind the project say they want every boater to double check and make sure all their safety devices and equipment on the boat are with them every time they take a glimpse at it as they head out to sea.

The Foundation encourages boaters to carry location beacons to help emergency crews find them if they go missing. The non-profit is working with Congressman Brian Mast to create an "Austin Alert," similar to an AMBER Alert, but for the water.


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