Last weekend, a heatwave brought huge crowds to Rockaway Beach. Thunderstorms cleared the beach out Saturday evening, but the beach remained packed well past 6 p.m. on Sunday. After lifeguards packed up for the day, whistled everyone out of the water and left the beach, people went right back in.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, several lifeguards responded to a report of a missing person to a lifeguard on Beach 106th street. We performed a submersion dive line, but it was determined that the missing person was not in the water.
As the search on 106th continued, around 7:30 p.m., Parks lifeguards and EMS were alerted to two male swimmers in distress near Beach 84th Street.
Audley Sykes
Lifeguards were able to safely remove one man from the water and simultaneously removed a boogie boarder drifting out. The second victim, a 17-year-old boy, had gone under before lifeguards arrived on scene. He was recovered by FDNY near Beach 83rd Street, unconscious and not breathing. He was transported to the St. John’s Episcopal hospital by EMS and later transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center where he was pronounced dead Monday morning.
As lifeguards, we are always deeply saddened by any loss of life on our beaches, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends. We spend our summers trying to prevent exactly this kind of tragedy and knowing that a young person lost his life in the water is devastating.
This incident occurred after the beach was closed to swimming. Although some lifeguards remain at each shack on overtime during heat advisories, which typically trigger extreme crowds, until 8 p.m. we respond to emergencies alongside FDNY and EMS, and are no longer stationed in chairs actively guarding designated swimming areas. Swimming remains prohibited after 6 p.m. It is dangerous to swim when lifeguards are not on duty.
Ocean currents, winds, and tides are all constantly changing factors that can switch multiple times throughout the day, sometimes unpredictably. These factors can create dangerous situations during any time, but when lifeguards are not on duty to prevent swimmers from entering rip currents and steer them away from rock jetties, these conditions can be life threatening.
The family of the 17-year-old drowning victim, Audley Sykes, has set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for funeral costs and grief counseling costs for the family. To donate, head to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sir-audley-sykes-funeral-support
The Rockaway Beach lifeguard community sends their continued support and prayers to Sykes’ family.
