A total of six recorded drowning incidents have occurred in New York City this summer, raising concerns about whether there is enough safety enforcement at the city’s public beaches.
Last Wednesday, a 26-year-old man drowned at Rockaway Beach while lifeguards were on duty, which brought the number people who have died from drowning in NYC this summer to six, the highest its been since 2019. A spokesperson for the city’s parks department, Meghan Lalor, told Gothamist lifeguards rushed into the water off Beach 94th Street while people flagged down medical workers to pull the man from the water and perform CPR. It was later reported he died.
On June 21, Brooklyn teenagers Elyjha Chandler, 16, and Christian Perkins, 17, went missing after going swimming at Jacob Riis Park in Rockaway while lifeguards were off duty, and their bodies were later discovered.
Just a few days later, Bronx sisters Zainab Mohammed, 17, and Aisha Mohammed, 18, died after swimming at Coney Island Beach on July 5 while there were no lifeguards on duty.
The fifth incident occurred on Monday, when Moises Rodriguez, 30, drowned near Beach 96th Street in Rockaway. Bystanders spotted him floating in the water and called 911. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The city, which has faced a lifeguard shortage since the COVID-19 pandemic, has been trying to bolster the ranks while parks officials say they’ve gained more control over the training process from the lifeguard union’s leadership, which has controlled who gets hired for decades.
In the past, Mayor Eric Adams has said the issue lies with people not being informed on water safety, as opposed to the shortage of lifeguards or emergency response issues.
Yet, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told Gothamist Adams’ administration need to do much more, calling on the mayor to improve coordination between the NYPD Harbor Unit, NYC Emergency Management, and others to help patrol beaches when lifeguards are off duty. He also said the city should do more to make swimming lesson accessible to children.
“We are in a state of emergency,” said Richards. “And the administration needs to come to the table with sound solutions that will ensure that we don’t lose more lives. This is about saving lives.”
Parks officials also caution that the effects of erosion at Rockaway Beach in particular have brought intense rip tides and currents, creating hazardous conditions in the water.
