Christian Riozzi-Bodine
— CrikFit
A 24-year-old former New Jersey lifeguard who was just weeks away from completing flight school and becoming a Coast Guard pilot was killed over the Fourth of July weekend.
Christian “Crik” Riozzi-Bodine, a Shark River Hills native, died on Sunday, July 5 in an accident in Austin, Texas, according to his obituary from the O’Brien Memorial Home website.
Details about the incident were not immediately available.
Riozzi-Bodine had graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 2024 and earned his commission as a Lieutenant Junior Grade. Upon completing flight school he would’ve received his wings as a Coast Guard pilot.
Riozzi-Bodine went by crikfit on Instagram, where he shared bodybuilding photos with his more than 11,000 followers.
Tributes poured in across the Jersey Shore, where Riozzi-Bodine patrolled the water as a lifeguard, joining the Spring Lake Beach Patrol in 2018.
“From his first day on the beach, Crik embodied the qualities that define our profession,” the beach patrol wrote on Instagram. “His greatest strengths were positivity, enthusiasm, and fierce friendship. Whether you were a seasoned veteran or a first-year rookie, Christian made everyone feel like a friend. His friendships spanned generations, and his impact on this beach patrol extended far beyond the summers he sat the stand. Crik made every lifeguard he worked with better.”
He is survived by his parents, Carl and Elaine, his siblings, Ethan and Alayna, his grandmother Mary and numerous other family members and friends, his obituary reads.
A funeral with military honors will be held Saturday, July 18 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Rose Church in Belmar, according to his obituary.
To view his obituary on the O’Brien Memorial Home website, click here.
