In another example of the danger beachgoers in the Rockaways can experience when they go swimming when lifeguards are not in their chairs, on Tuesday, June 2.
At 6:20 p.m., FDNY members assigned to the robotics unit and EMS rescued two swimmers in distress in the waters off Beach 85th Street in Rockaway Beach just 20 minutes after lifeguards had gone off duty.
While patrolling the shoreline with a drone, FDNY Firefighter Michael Stothers spotted the swimmers struggling in the water and, within minutes, successfully deployed a Restube flotation device from his drone. The flotation device began to inflate as soon as it hit the water and helped both swimmers remain afloat until rescuers reached them, according to the FDNY.
EMT Michael Ormiston, of Station 47 in Far Rockaway, entered the surf with a rescue torpedo and made contact with one victim, while Firefighter Patrick O’Leary — who grew up in Rockaway Park and graduated from Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and served in the Army before joining the FDNY — assisted in bringing the individual safely to shore.
FDNY firefighters, including a local hero from Rockaway Park, and an off-duty lifeguard rescued the swimmers on Tuesday, June 2.Photo courtesy of the FDNY
An off-duty lifeguard joined the rescue effort and reached the second swimmer, whom he brought to shore. EMS rushed both swimmers to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway and are expected to survive.
“This is yet another example of the heroism our first responders display every single day in this city,” Council Member Joann Ariola said. “If not for the rapid deployment of the drone and the fast actions of New York’s Best and Bravest, we might have had two more fatalities this summer. This is one example where the drone program truly does make a difference, and I am very glad to see that these swimmers were rescued and lives were saved.”
Council Member Joann Ariola was grateful for the responders’ swift action and reminded beachgoers of the dangers of swimming when lifeguards are off duty. Photo courtesy of the FDNY
The rescue operation occurred three days after the body of a Bronx teenager was pulled from the waters of Jamaica Bay off Breezy Point two weeks after he was caught in a riptide near Beach 73rd Street in Arverne. Police from the 100th Precinct in Rockaway Beach responded to a 911 call reporting a body in the bay off Beach 219th Street and Rockaway Point Boulevard where they recovered the body of 18-year-old Brandon Figueroa nearly eight miles west from where he was pulled out to sea. His mother Jeanette Munoz confirmed that her son was found in a GoFundMe update.
Brandon Figueroa, 18, was swimming off Beach 73rd Street in Arverne during the traditional senior cut day when he got caught in a rip current and drowned. His body was found two weeks later in Jamaica Bay off Breezy Point, eight miles west. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
“On behalf of me and my family we very much appreciate all the support, prayers and donations we have received,” she wrote. “I am now preparing for services for my son Brandon.”
Figueroa was taking part in the traditional senior cut day in the Rockaways on Tuesday, May 19, days before NYC Parks began staffing public beaches with lifeguards on Memorial Day weekend, marking the start of the summer swim season.
“This family can finally have some sense of closure now that Brandon’s body has been found and he can be laid to rest with a proper burial,” Ariola said. “This tragedy is a stark reminder to everyone of the dangers of swimming when lifeguards are not on duty. I cannot stress enough how dangerous the ocean can be even for trained swimmers, and people going to the beach need to practice water safety and stay out of the water after hours and on closed beaches.”