The swimmer who disappeared off the Rockaways, whose body has not been found, has been identified as 18-year-old Brandon Figueroa from the Bronx, his mother said Thursday.
The devastated mother wrote in an online fundraiser that Figueroa had gone to Rockaway Beach with some friends on Tuesday to beat the sweltering heat.
“While enjoying the water, a big wave and a strong riptide pulled Brandon under, and despite the efforts of NYPD, FDNY, and other agencies, his body has not been found,” Jeanette Munoz wrote. “This unimaginable tragedy has left our family heartbroken and lost for words.”
An NYPD Harbor Unit vessel searches for a missing 18-year-old swimmer at Rockaway Beach near Beach 73rd St. in Queens, New York, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)
Munoz described her son as “a good kid,” who was about to graduate from Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters high school next month.
Figueroa had a future that was “full of promise” and planned to attend trade school to become an electrician, she wrote.
The family had raised $7,101 of their $13,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon to cover funeral and memorial service expenses for the boy.
Figueroa, who lived in Soundview, was reported missing near Beach 73rd St. around 3:31 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
Missing swimmer Brandon Figueroa. (GoFundMe)
Police helicopters and scuba divers were dispatched to comb the shoreline, but divers were pulled out of the water around sundown, cops said.
On Wednesday morning, the NYPD began a shoreline search. They were expecting to put divers in the water at about noon.
City Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers posted about the missing swimmer on X Tuesday.
“An 18-year-old entered the water near or around B73 on Rockaway Beach and went missing,” Powers wrote. “911 was contacted. All hands are on deck. Please stay clear of the area and let the emergency services work. They’re trying their hardest to locate the individual.”
Rockaway Beach near Beach 73rd St. in Queens, New York, is pictured on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)
Another swimmer was treated by paramedics and refused to be taken to a hospital.
Lifeguards are not stationed at the beach until Memorial Day weekend, when they are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.