KILAUEA — The Kaua‘i community is coming together to support the family of Huy Nguyen, a Kilauea man who went missing while swimming at Rock Quarry Beach (Kahili Beach) Monday night.
A GoFundMe page titled “Help Support Huy’s Family” has seen an enormous response, raising $39,017 toward a $50,000 goal from 256 donors by 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“He was a sweet, loving, open-hearted man who loved music and soccer and his friends and family and this place with all his heart,” said Kilauea resident Jana Kilgore, who organized the campaign. “He’s a quiet, humble, loving force, the friend you could always count on when you needed anything.”
Nguyen is a long-time Kaua‘i resident and is well-known throughout the community. He runs a coconut tree cleaning business and sells coconut water at farmers’ markets with his partner, Natalie. He is a talented soccer player and a father of three.
A County of Kaua‘i Facebook post announcing Nguyen’s disappearance generated hundreds of comments expressing support for the family.
“I only want to say how much his kind heart and love meant to us,” said Alison Furderer, who worked with Nguyen at the Hanalei farmers’ market, and whose husband, Kit, played soccer alongside him. “I pray they find him.”
By 4 p.m. Wednesday, a substantial search effort had yielded no signs of Nguyen.
The search-and-rescue mission is a unified effort between the Kaua‘i Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard, KFD’s Ocean Safety Bureau, Kaua‘i Police Department and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Efforts began shortly after Nguyen was reported missing at about 7:45 p.m. Monday and continued through the day Tuesday.
The USCG searched through the night Monday and Tuesday with USCG Cutter Oliver Barry, and the search began again in full Wednesday morning.
Community volunteers joined in the search Wednesday, which now extends as far as the Zuckerberg estate on the east side of Kahili, and to the west toward Hanalei.
Rescue parties saw much-calmer ocean conditions Wednesday as compared to Tuesday, USCG reported.
Nguyen is the second man to go missing on the North Shore in the span of three days.
A 25-year-old New Jersey man, Matthew Preziose, went missing off of Lumaha‘i Beach Saturday afternoon. The search to find him was suspended Tuesday afternoon.
• Info: gofundme.com/f/help-support-huys-family
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
