A 19-year-old beachgoer died after he spent an hour trapped in the rough waters off Rockaway Beach in Queens on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The swimmer got caught in the strong rip tide alongside the rock jetty about 2:40 p.m. and remained there until firefighters found him about 3:30 p.m. bobbing face down in the waves nearly 75 yards from the shore.
Firefighters tried frantically to save the victim’s life – administering CPR atop a rescue surfboard as they were pulled to land – but he was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Johns Hospital.
One of the rescuers, Kelly Coyle, an 11-year veteran of the FDNY and a certified lifeguard, warned against swimming at city beaches this early in the season.
“I advise people to stay away from the water until lifeguards are on duty,” Coyle said. “Going in the water is just too dangerous.”