NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Search efforts for a teenager who went missing while swimming at Coney Island Beach on Thursday afternoon, July 27, are still ongoing. The 15-year-old disappeared around 12.30 pm and has since been identified by a family member as Markel Aristis, as per PEOPLE Magazine. He was supposedly out having fun with his 16-year-old brother in a swimming-inhibited area.
Eyewitnesses said that the youngsters started to struggle in the water before they were swept under, as told to KABC-TV. "The kids were playing in the water. I warned them, the water's very, very dangerous, don't play with the water. But they didn't say nothing to me. They continued jumping and playing. Then I saw everybody screaming," shared one witness with CBS New York.
Who is Markel Aristis?
Markel Aristis, identified by his aunt, is a 15-year-old boy who disappeared while swimming at Coney Island Beach on Thursday afternoon. He was playing in the waves with his 16-year-old brother, Aaron Aristis, as named by Pix 11, in an area where swimming was prohibited. Rescuers were reportedly able to bring the older brother, who was aware and breathing, to shore but were unsuccessful in getting hold of Markel. "Then we went back and started looking and see where he was located, but we lost contact with him. We didn't see him at all," John McLean, a retired FDNY member, told CBS. "He was spent, he was exhausted, he was ready to drown, just about ready to drown," he continued describing the state of Aaron, adding, "We got him in time. He was in shock. I believe it was his brother out there."
A crowd gathered around the shore as rescuers combed the water with infrared equipment in an effort to locate the child. However, the rescue workers were unable to situate him on Thursday, with the NYPD canceling the search around 3.30 pm, as per the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The missing boy's stepfather informed PIX11 News that the search would continue on Friday. Notably, there have been no lifeguards on duty all summer in the beach area where the boy vanished, according to the officials.
'They should put lifeguards instead of these people'
Complaints over the absence of lifeguards raged all day on West 22nd Street Beach, where Thursday's alleged drowning occurred, reported Pix 11. Helen Carr, one of the swimmers, expressed her displeasure with the situation, remarking, "They should put lifeguards instead of these people," supposedly implying to the Parks Department employees. Some of the workers expressed frustration over the situation because every time they order people out of the water, the beachgoers go back into the water within minutes. The employees also claimed that families with children were frequently in the surf at the said beach.
A mother who was present at the beach with her elementary- and pre-school-aged children explained that they were all in need of a break. The woman, who would not provide her name, expressed, "You stay at home with three kids and see how that goes." On the other hand, the New York City Parks Department said in a statement, "Because of the continued lifeguard shortage, we opened all of our beaches and pools this year at limited capacity. Our goal is always to accommodate as much swimming space as possible. We urge New Yorkers – only swim in open sections of the beach during lifeguard hours," as per Pix 11.
