OCEAN CITY — Local authorities have recovered the body of a swimmer who went missing May 18 off 10th Street in Ocean City.
On June 19, Sea Isle City and Ocean City police, along with the New Jersey State Police and Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office responded to a report of a deceased male in the area of 72nd Street in Sea Isle.
The man was positively identified as the missing swimmer from Ocean City. The family has been notified and has requested privacy; no additional information will be released, according to Lt. Dan Lancaster of the Ocean City Police Department.
The Ocean City fire and police departments responded to a swimmer in distress at about 4:52 p.m. May 18 in the area of 10th Street, before lifeguards had started working for the season.
“An immediate and intensive search was initiated. In addition to the fire department’s rescue teams and the police department’s drones, assets were requested from the United States Coast Guard and New Jersey State Police to assist in the search,” Lancaster had stated in a news release at the time.
At about 5:05 p.m. on the day of the incident, the Coast Guard received a report regarding the teen, who was last seen on a boogie board in the surf.
Initial reports stated that two people were in the water on boogie boards about 200 yards from shore. One person was successfully rescued, while the second person remained missing.
The rescued individual told authorities that he or she saw the missing man lose his boogie board before being hit by a wave and failing to resurface.
Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast, and launched Coast Guard Station Atlantic City as well as Air Station Atlantic City to assist with the search.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff