19-year-old dies at hospital after body washes ashore at Jacob Riis Park in Queens
NEW YORK -- A 19-year-old man has died after he was pulled from the water at Jacob Riis Park in Queens.
The beach was packed with people relaxing when the chaos erupted just before 8 p.m. Friday. Police said the teen went into the water, but didn't come back out.
Search and rescuers fanned out by land, sea and air in a desperate search, while the teen's distraught family stood by.
EMS, NYPD, FDNY, chopper, a Marine unit and six FDNY divers helped with the search, which was turned over to the NYPD after about two hours.
At around 10 p.m., just before rescue crews were about to pull back for the night, a group of people saw the body was ashore.
"I kept seeing something weird, like a toe pointing out the water," one man said.
First responders rushed over to perform CPR on the beach before the teen was rushed to Coney Island Hospital, where he died.
The victim has been identified as Amadou Thiam.
Witnesses said there were strong rip currents in the Rockaways on Friday and that the teen went swimming after lifeguards instructed people to get out of the water and left for the day.
"They was blowing the whistle, signaling to come back, and then a few minutes after everybody left, they flew right back in," a woman said.
"It was definitely some rough waters, and really unforgiving," a man said.
- Read more: No sign of boy who got caught in rip current at Coney Island Beach more than 24 hours ago
The ordeal happened after a 15-year-old boy went missing in the water at Coney Island Beach on Thursday. The NYPD Harbor Unit has been searching since then, but there's been no sign of him.
Beachgoers are reminded not to go in the water when lifeguards are not present.
