Man in critical condition after being pulled from water at Rockaway Beach
NEW YORK -- A man is in critical condition after being pulled from the water at Rockaway Beach.
Police say lifeguards spotted him floating in the water near Shore Front Parkway and Beach 91st Street in Far Rockaway just after 5 p.m. Friday.
A Friday afternoon at the beach ended frightfully for that man with those around him watching in fear.
Parks Department security shooed swimmers out of the water at Rockaway Beach after a man was pulled out of the water unconscious.
"Five or six people were probably holding him on each side, and they were just running," witness Bruce Baxter said.
"They were moving fast. The lifeguards were running over here. There were lifeguards running over there talking to cops, doing CPR. They were moving fast. Crazy," witness Luis Sarmiento said.
"No swimming" signs were posted all over the beach, warning visitors to stay out the choppy water, but even near sundown and with Parks Department manning the area with whistles and sirens, people were still going in.
The sight of someone being pulled from the water was scary enough for others.
"The fire department, EMS, they had one of the small four-, six-wheel-drive trucks over here waiting, and they had to put the person up on it," Baxter said.
Hours later, NYPD officers were back on scene, searching the area where the man was found and leaving with a backpack.
"They were looking all around to try to see if his personal belongings were here or not. I'm assuming to try to identify the person," Baxter said.
In a statement, the Parks Department says, "We are hoping for a full recovery for this beachgoer, and proud of the swift action of our lifeguards to effectuate a rescue."
The man remains in critical condition tonight at St. John's Hospital.
