Basketball Divers search river for father of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson

[RX24]

Divers search river for father of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) -- Divers resumed searching the Delaware River on Friday for the father of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson.

Floyd "Pete" Nelson was reported missing from his job at a tugboat repair shop about noon Thursday.

Floyd Nelson was last seen near the water, and officials said it was feared that he had fallen into the river just south of the Commodore Barry Bridge.

Mayor Wendell Butler said the U.S. Coast Guard and divers searched the waters until dark Thursday and the search resumed shortly after 8 a.m. Friday.

Floyd Nelson, a Vietnam War veteran, wrote a book about his son's basketball career in 2004 entitled "Jameer." The Magic drafted his son in 2004 out of Saint Joseph's.

 

[RX24]

I hope he is ok

 

[ac-n-mike]

very sad...I hope he is ok too

 

[Hands]

Not nice at all - hope he is ok.

 

[RoncalliJetsForever909682]

Hope he is ok.

 

[77ncaachamps]

UPDATE

CHESTER, Pa. -- The disappearance of Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson's father has mystified his fellow workers at a Delaware River tugboat company, where he was last seen walking across a dock Thursday.

Divers, the U.S. Coast Guard and searchers with dogs looked for Floyd "Pete" Nelson in and around the fast-moving river Friday. The 57-year-old had been working Thursday in a dry dock area and was last seen walking toward a tug used as a break room, according to Harry Hays, the owner of Hays Tug & Launch Service.

The search was suspended around 4 p.m.

"We didn't see nothing or hear nothing, and the boys on the dry docks heard nothing, seen nothing. So it's a mystery to all of us," Hays said Friday.

Nelson's girlfriend and two sons have been on the scene, Hays said. Jameer Nelson arrived Friday morning and was seen speaking with officials involved in the search.

Floyd Nelson was last seen at about 11 a.m. Thursday. His lunch and car keys were found in the tug's kitchen area, and his car was nearby, Chester Police Chief John Finnegan said. Searchers were examining a 3-foot gap between the tug and the dock.

"If he was in that location and something happened to him medically, he might have fallen over," Finnegan said. "I can't think of anything else, unless he walked off, but I don't know why he would."

Nelson, a welder, had worked for the company for about a decade.

"His son wanted him retired, but he said, 'No way. I love my job.' He just told me that about a month ago," Hays said. "He's a wonderful guy. Everybody liked him."

Nelson, a Vietnam War veteran, wrote a book about his son's basketball career in 2004 entitled "Jameer." The Magic drafted his son out of Saint Joseph's in the first round in 2004.

 

[ac-n-mike]

WOW so he's still missing and they are not really sure IF he is/was in the water at all? He could just be wandering around....very sad...I hope he is OK, but it doesnt look good

 

[RX24]

Bad news guys.....

Police: Body likely to be that of Jameer Nelson's father - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

Police: Body likely to be that of Jameer Nelson's father

September 1, 2007

AP - Aug 31, 11:48 am EDT
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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- Authorities pulled a body from the Delaware River on Saturday and there is a "strong likelihood" it is the missing father of Orlando Magic star Jameer Nelson, police said.

Floyd "Pete" Nelson, 57, an employee at a tugboat company, was last seen Thursday working in a dry dock area in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pa. Divers and trained dogs searched the river all day Friday but the search was suspended around 4 p.m.

Police in Delaware said a boater called 911 on Saturday after spotting the body of a black male floating in the river near Fox Point Park in Wilmington. The body was recovered around 2 p.m.

There was a "strong likelihood" that the body was Floyd Nelson's but police were unable to confirm it, said Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Joshua A. Bushweller.

"We're going to do official fingerprinting, or a family member may do a positive identification," Bushweller said.

Floyd Nelson's lunch and car keys were found in the tug's kitchen area, and his car was nearby, according to Chester police. Nelson, a welder, has worked for the tub boat company for about a decade.

Jameer Nelson was a basketball standout at Chester High School and Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He was a first-round draft pick in the 2004 NBA draft and is the starting point guard for the Magic.

 

[Hands]

Sad news. The family will be shattered.

 

[Showtime Lakers]

Thats sad man that really is. I just find it wierd he works with Jameer making so much $ even though he loves his job.

 

[ac-n-mike]

REALLY sad....the family is in my thoughts

 

[RZ11]

Thats sad man that really is. I just find it wierd he works with Jameer making so much $ even though he loves his job.

Not everyone thinks it's ok to mooch off of your children or family members, even if they are a professional athlete.

The man was a Vietnam veteran and apparently a hard worker. Kudos to him and his obvious work ethic - not a lot of people have that these days - or even know what it is.


As for the body more than likely being him - maybe it's the law enforcement in me - but it makes me wonder about the circumstances leading up to his untimely demise. Did he slip and fall, hitting his head? Was there foul play involved?

Alot of unanswered questions.