RIDGELAND, Miss. - A Brandon businessman was presumed dead Friday after a late-night jet ski collision at the Ross Barnett Reservoir, authorities said. Robert J. Joey Giordano, 50, fell into the water and disappeared shortly before midnight Wednesday, police said. A search of the reservoir northeast of Jackson yielded no results. Divers were returning Friday to resume the search, Reservoir Fire Chief Scott Berry said.
Giordano was the owner of a Ridgeland independent insurance agency and on the board of several Jackson metropolitan area companies. Authorities said Giordano had been riding jet skis with Christopher DeCamp Sr., 38; DeCamp's son, Christopher DeCamp Jr., 16; and 16-year-old Bradley Youngblood.
Authorities were still piecing together exactly what happened, but Reservoir Fire Chief Scott Berry said the foursome, all from Brandon, went out on the water Wednesday night.
Sgt. Randy Newell, conservation officer with the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said it appeared that Giordano was a passenger on a jet ski driven by DeCamp Jr.
The elder DeCamp had Youngblood riding on the back of his jet ski and had apparently stopped in the water when the other jet ski collided with his, knocking Giordano into the water, Newell said.
Under state law, it is a misdemeanor to operate a jet ski at night. The fine ranges from $25 to $100, plus court costs, but authorities are still investigating the accident.
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