By The newspaper
06 Jul 2024, 08:47 AM EDT
Two teenage sisters drowned last night at the famous Coney Island beach in Brooklyn (NYC).
The swimmers apparently entered the water outside of permitted hours and during a brief rain shower Friday night. The two victims, ages 17 and 18, disappeared in the water around 8:10 p.m. near Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn and were found on shore at 9:15 p.m., the NYPD said. They were taken to Coney Island Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, the report said. New York Post.
The names of the deceased have not been released, but they were sisters according to ABC News. Police initially received information about a 24-year-old man who had also disappeared in the water while helping the girls, but that report later proved unfounded.
Witnesses told ABC News Most people on the beach fled for shelter once it started to rain. But the teenagers ended up jumping back into the water even after a man tried to stop them.
Lifeguards at Coney Island are on duty between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the city’s Parks Department. Swimming is not permitted outside of those hours or on closed stretches of beach.
Yesterday’s tragic deaths came two weeks after two other teenage boys were swept away by floodwaters in Jacob Riis Park in Rockaways, Queens (NYC). A week later they were found dead on the shore.
New York’s public beaches will be open until September 8, but only when lifeguards are on duty and the weather is good.
The eight beaches managed by NYC are located in four of the five boroughs and have 14 miles of coastline. They are: Orchard (The Bronx); Manhattan Beach, Coney Island and Brighton (Brooklyn); Rockaway, the only one in the city open to surfing (Queens); and Midland, South Beach Cedar Grove and Wolfe’s Pond (Staten Island).
NYC is facing a shortage of lifeguards again this year. As a stimulus, in February the city announced it would offer a $1,000 bonus to all returning lifeguards and a pay increase to $22 per hour, he recalled. PIX11 News. Working as a lifeguard is an interesting option for those aged 16 and over. For more information, click here.
Before planning any outdoor summer activity, it is recommended to check the weather. Updates can be found here and on the National Weather Service (NWS-NY) website. More details about the forecast for each county in New York and Jersey can be found here.