Body of missing 15-year-old swimmer found at Coney Island Beach, NYC Council members say
NEW YORK -- The search for a teenage boy who was swept out into the ocean in Coney Island is over.
Councilmembers Ari Kagan and Justin Brannan tweeted out that the body of that missing 15-year-old boy who went swimming on Thursday afternoon was recovered on Saturday night.
CBS New York also got conformation from Kagan's office that the 15-year-old lived in a shelter in the Bronx and was visiting family and friends in Coney Island.
Officials say good Samaritans were able to rescue his brother hours after he went missing. Councilmembers Kagan and Brannan tweeted out their condolences to the teens' family on Saturday night.
As of Sunday evening, city Medical Examiner's Office had not released any information.
This comes as CBS New York learned 19-year-old Amadou Thiam of Brooklyn was recovered from Jacob Riis State Park in the rockaways, but died at the hospital.
Adam Katchmarchi of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance shared that drowning rates have only risen in recent years.
"So this is a huge problem. In natural bodies of water, we typically see more teenagers and adults drowning in these situations, where the little ones, the 1- to 4-year-olds, are typically in pools or bodies of water that are near the home. So, you know, it does vary by age and location what the risk is, but we are also seeing elevated numbers this season and have been since the beginning of the pandemic," Katchmarchi said.
There are signs in several different languages in Coney Island telling beach goers not to swim unless there are lifeguards on duty. There were no lifeguards on duty at the time those boys went to swim.
Lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week across the city parks system.
