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Pilot in Cape May plane crash a Monmouth County man, police say

Lawrence Klimek, 58, of Howell, Monmouth County, flew single-engine aircraft that crashed in the ocean around 11:45 a.m., police said Friday.

In this photo provided by the United States Coast Guard, a pair of Sea Tow boats joins another vessel off Cape May Point, N.J., in the search for a single engine airplane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, Wednesday, May 29, 2019. The aircraft's owner says the male pilot was a regular customer who flew recreationally. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Keegan/United States Coast Guard via AP)
In this photo provided by the United States Coast Guard, a pair of Sea Tow boats joins another vessel off Cape May Point, N.J., in the search for a single engine airplane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, Wednesday, May 29, 2019. The aircraft's owner says the male pilot was a regular customer who flew recreationally. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Keegan/United States Coast Guard via AP)Read moreRyan Keegan / AP

New Jersey State Police have identified the pilot of a plane that crashed Wednesday off the coast of Cape May Point.

Lawrence Klimek, 58, of Howell, Monmouth County, flew the Mooney M20J aircraft, police said Friday. The small plane left Trenton-Robbinsville Airport in Mercer County on Wednesday morning and crashed in the ocean around 11:30 a.m. Police said Wednesday that one person was known to be on board the aircraft when it departed.

Police found the plane under roughly 18 feet of water using sonar. Klimek is presumed deadn and state police have been searching for his body. A private salvage company is handling the recovery of the plane.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.