The body of a newly wed Hudson man who was swept away by flash floods while on his honeymoon in Costa Rica was recovered yesterday, three days after he disappeared before his horrified bride’s eyes.
Josh and Bianca Byrne, who were married Oct. 6, were on their honeymoon that was supposed to be “the best part of their lives” until their vehicle veered off a bridge and submerged in the river on Thursday, their friend Michael Ciprari said.
The two were able to extricate themselves from the vehicle and climb on the car’s roof. Both decided to swim ashore. As Bianca swam, she looked behind, and Josh, 30, was gone.
The couple met through Instagram in the fall of 2015, said Melissa Byrne, who is married to Josh’s brother, Patrick.
“They both had dogs and they followed each other on Instagram,” she said. “Bianca reached out because they wanted to meet their dogs. A doggy play date was scheduled and Josh was glowing, he was excited. I knew that day they were going to get married.”
Josh Byrne proposed to Bianca a year ago this week.
At the wedding, Melissa Byrne said she remembered “telling Bianca I was excited to have another sister. I gave Josh a hug and told him I was proud of him.
“Everything about that day was beautiful, a gorgeous fall day,” she recalled. “It was an intimate setting only for close friends and family.”
Ciprari, owner of SJC Custom Drums, where Josh Byrne worked for the past 10 years, said “We’re a small company and we have gone through a lot and Josh stuck by my side. We all pitched in together and gave him a G-Shock watch before his wedding. We really miss him.”
When Josh’s brother, Patrick Byrne, was given the heartaching news that Josh was missing, he wondered, “Am I going to be the only child? What does this mean for me?”
“Patrick is a firefighter and he feels the world is on his shoulders,” Melissa Byrne said of her husband. “Normally, he wants to be involved but this time, he knew it was his own.”
Friday, Paul — Josh and Patrick’s father — flew with Patrick to Costa Rica to try to find Josh.
Diane Hunt, Josh Byrne’s aunt, said the Red Cross found Josh’s body yesterday afternoon.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to “help Josh’s family through this terrible time,” Ciprari said. “I don’t want them to worry about any finances.”
As of last night, donations had topped $9,000.
