VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A man drowned at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Thursday morning.

According to police, officers were dispatched to 16th Street and the Boardwalk just before 7 a.m. Thursday for the report of a drowning. Witnesses say the man fell off his surfboard following a medical emergency.

Police confirmed the man died following this incident.

“It looked like something happened to him in the water with a health condition or something,” eyewitness Nader Nasseredine said, “because he took in so much water, and the gentleman that said that he found him, he was stomach down, head down in the water. He was floating, and his board was attached to him, but his paddle was all the way down the beach.” 

A man who had been a paramedic for over 30 years in Henrico County attempted to perform CPR before police arrived to perform life-saving measures.

“All the surfer guys threw him up on his board and brought him in, and I helped with the last leg of that,” Mark Rowland said. “He was face down in the water, so we rolled him all over and just started doing CPR.” 

A Richmond man who was one of the first to reach the man in the water by his paddleboard also provided assistance with CPR.

“He wasn’t able to breathe, foaming at the mouth from salty water,” said Sary Mounif. “He wasn’t responsive at all.”

An emotional Calvert County, Maryland man watched the events unfold from his hotel room.

“Sometimes you put your shoes on in the morning, but you don’t know who’s going to take them off,” William Jefferson said. “Someone lost their life this morning right here in front of me. It’s sad. That’s life.” 

Police say there was no foul play suspected in this incident.