Missing US Naval Academy midshipman from NJ found dead

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Oct 13, 2025

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A missing U.S. Naval Academy student from New Jersey has been found dead, authorities said Sunday.

Kyle Philbert James, 20, was last seen Thursday. His family reported him missing that day after receiving notice from the Naval Academy that he didn’t attend any of his classes, according to Connecticut CBS affiliate WFSB-TV.

“It is painful to lose a member of our Naval Academy family, and as we attempt to better understand this tremendous loss, we offer our deepest condolences to Philbert James’ family, close friends, classmates and company mates during this extremely difficult time,” the academy said in a statement.

James, a native of Whippany, New Jersey, was a junior at the Annapolis, Maryland, school. He was a member of 36th Company and part of the academy’s gospel choir.

The circumstances of James’ death remain unclear, and the Naval Academy said Sunday it was investigating the incident.

James’ mother shared texts she exchanged with her son Thursday morning with WFSB, telling James she loved him. His last message to her was, “I love you more.”

“Kyle plz call me,” she wrote Thursday night.

The Naval Academy also dealt with a dangerous incident last month, when a former midshipman reported a fake shooting threat at the school on Sept. 11. That threat triggered a lockdown and led to a shooting between a security guard and a midshipman.

Jackson Fleming, a 23-year-old from Indiana, was arrested and charged with transmitting the fake threat.

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