NJ Photographer Swept Out To Sea In Hawaii Was Vacationing With BF, Family Says

Middletown's Matthew Preziose, 25, was standing in the waters of Lumaha'i Beach and moments later was swept out to sea on Saturday, March 5, his boyfriend, Nick Slawinski told Daily Voice.

ALSO SEE: Man Recalls NJ BF's Final Moments On Notoriously Dangerous Hawaiian Beach 'Lumadie'

Slawinski claims he leaped into the water to save his love, who was caught in a riptide and nearly 150 feet from the shoreline.

The search for his body was suspended the afternoon of Tuesday, March 8, leaving his loved ones still looking for answers.

Preziose works as a freelance photographer in the NJ and NYC area, according to his professional Instagram page and website.

His mom, Kimberly Branciforte Preziose told Daily Voice that her son was visiting the island with his boyfriend, Nick Slawinski. 

The pair seemed to have celebrated their one-year anniversary last November, according to their Instagram profiles.

Members of the US Coast Guard, firefighters, and lifeguards, initiated an immediate search Saturday on the Lumaha‘i Beach coast, police said.

The search continued Sunday, March 6, and Monday, March 7, with help from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Ocean Safety Bureau, and scuba divers. Kauai police officers had also been searching the shorelines.

Meanwhile, more than 100 comments flooded Branciforte Preziose's Facebook page, wishing her and her loved ones well.

"My heart hurts hearing/seeing this news. So many memories of the younger days together are rushing back and I’m crying," one user wrote under her updated profile picture.

"I feel pain for all of you. I am so, so sorry you are going through this - please know, we are going through it together."

"My heart breaks for your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you, James and Emily," another person added.

Branciforte Preziose told Daily Voice she is "too distraught at this moment to put words together."

Kauai police say they will resume their search if new information becomes available.

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