{"id":4626,"date":"2026-07-16T13:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4626"},"modified":"2026-07-16T13:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:37:37","slug":"nolan-wells-friends-heard-calling-for-help-after-boat-broke-down-in-newly-released-audio-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4626","title":{"rendered":"Nolan Wells\u2019 friends heard calling for help after boat broke down in newly released audio: report"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Pals of the tragic teen Nolan Wells called for help when their boat suddenly malfunctioned and started taking on water, according to newly released audio from the day of his disappearance.<\/p>\n

Read more Canadian woman charged with assaulting Jersey Shore teen in MAGA clothes is \u2018criminal illegal alien\u2019 who overstayed visa: DHS<\/a><\/p>\n

Wells, 18, traveled with his friends to Horn Island from the Mississippi mainland for the Fourth of July holiday \u2014 but he wasn\u2019t with the group for the return journey.<\/p>\n

Their boat \u2014 which had \u201clike seven\u201d people on board \u2014 experienced difficulty at around 4 p.m, according to audio obtained by NBC News.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, we\u2019re at the west tip of Horn, and our bilge pump stopped working. We\u2019re going. We\u2019re sinking. Can you all please come?\u201d the vessel\u2019s operator said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to get this boat unsank and towed back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boat was then towed for around three miles before picking up normal speed less than an hour later, according to GPS data obtained by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and shared with NBC News.<\/p>\n

It returned to the location it originally departed at 5:44 p.m.<\/p>\n

The circumstances leading up to Wells\u2019 disappearance and death remain unclear \u2013 with Ben Crump, the top civil rights lawyer representing the family, stressing there are still unanswered questions.<\/p>\n

Jackson County Judge Ashlee Cole \u2013 a mom of one of Wells\u2019 pals \u2013 said her son last saw Wells at around 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey left around 4:30 pm when the boat was taking on water and they had an issue with the bilge pump,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNolan made a decision to stay on the island and return inland later with another group of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Hate-filled husband of Canadian accused of smacking pro-Trump teen at Jersey Shore tries to dismiss it as \u2018nothingburger\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Wells, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was reported missing the night of July 4 and his body was found two days later in the water, just off shore on the northwest end of the island, according to officials.<\/p>\n

He was identified through his dental records.<\/p>\n

His cause of death hasn\u2019t been released \u2013 but Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said he had no reason to suspect foul play was a factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Investigators suspect Wells drowned on the now ill-fated trip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crump has ordered an independent autopsy, paid for by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, but the results have not yet been revealed.<\/p>\n

The attorney revealed last week that flight issues delayed the publication of the results.<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 body was flown over 800 miles to medical examiners in Washington, D.C., for the independent autopsy.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

On Wednesday, the lawyer said he hopes to share the results \u201csoon, very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crump previously told former CNN star Don Lemon the results of the second autopsy would reveal if Wells had \u201cany physical injuries to his body beyond drowning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wells\u2019 funeral will take place in Ocean Springs Monday. His heartbroken mom, Christine Wonsley, said planning for the memorial did \u201cnot feel real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the emotions are running together. I thank God for the moments of being able to watch videos and hear his laugh again. We miss you so much Nolan,\u201d she wrote online.<\/p>\n

Read more Florida daughter says HOA is trying to force her out of 55-plus community after inheriting home from dad<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pals of the tragic teen Nolan Wells called for help when their boat suddenly malfunctioned and started taking on water, according to newly released audio from the day of his disappearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNolan Wells\u2019 friends heard calling for help after boat broke down in newly released audio: report - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=4626\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nolan Wells\u2019 friends heard calling for help after boat broke down in newly released audio: report - 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