A body recovered by the Coast Guard from the ocean off Long Beach Island Thursday night was identified as a Glen Rock man who had been reported missing on Sunday.

Glen Rock police Chief Dean Ackermann said the body of Kiariff Alston, 26, was returned to his Bergen County hometown on Friday after being found near Barnegat Light 2 miles south of Island Beach State Park.

The Ocean County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy to determine a cause and manner of death.

"The members of the Glen Rock Police Department express their sympathies to Mr. Alston’s family in their time of loss," Ackermann said in a statement.

Never reported for work

Alston had last been seen around 3 a.m. Monday at a gas station in Paterson. He was reported missing by his family after he never showed up at his job at the Home Depot in Paterson.  State Police used their social media platforms to get his picture out and said he may have been headed to Seaside Heights.

His black 2020 Toyota Corolla was located in the Jersey Shore town by Glen Rock police detectives who went there as part of their investigation.

His mother told NorthJersey.com that Alston had a mental illness and sometimes wandered off but never for several days.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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