Search Suspended for Missing Swimmer At Long Beach, NY

NEW YORK-The search for an 18-year-old male swimmer near Riverside Blvd. in Long Beach, N.Y., was suspended pending further information at 5 p.m. today.

“Making the decision to suspend the search is one of the hardest decisions a sector commander will ever make,” said Capt. Daniel Ronan, commander of Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. “Despite an aggressive search by both Coast Guard and local agencies that entailed well over 100-hours of combined searching, we were unable to locate the missing swimmer.”

A nearby lifeguard spotted two swimmers in distress who were reportedly caught in a rip tide around 6:20 p.m. Friday evening. The lifeguard pulled one of the swimmers from the water and alerted Nassau County Fire Department for assistance.

Rescue crews from Coast Guard Station Jones Beach, Nassau County Police Department Marine and Long Beach Fire Department Marine searched for the swimmer via water, while helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City and Nassau County Police conducted aerial searches.

Multiple Agencies Search for Missing Swimmer Near Long Beach NY

NEW YORK-Multiple agencies are searching for an 18 to 20-year-old male swimmer near Riverside Blvd. in Long Beach, N.Y., today.

Rescue crews are searching an area along the shore about two miles long, starting where the swimmer was reported missing. The search extends about one-and-a-half miles offshore.

A nearby lifeguard spotted two swimmers in distress who were reportedly caught in a rip tide about 6:20 p.m. The lifeguard pulled one of the swimmers from the water and alerted Nassau County Fire Department for assistance.

Rescue crews from Coast Guard Station Jones Beach and the Nassau County Police Department Marine unit are on scene and are searching for the swimmer. A helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City is also on scene and conducting an air search.

“Rip tides won’t pull you under the water, but they can pull you hundreds of yards away from the shore,” said Lt. j.g. Stephanie Pitts. “We urge boaters and swimmers to know how to recognize a rip current and avoid areas where they occur.”

Nassau County Police Marine and Aviation units and a Long Beach Fire Department Marine unit also responded to the scene and assisted with the search.

Multiple Agencies Respond to Diesel Spill in Woodcleft Canal, NY

NEW YORK - Fifty to 60 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into Woodcleft Canal, N.Y. after a commercial vessel sank at its pier around 6:45 a.m. today.

The spill has been 100 percent contained by the Coast Guard and local environmental response agencies. Containment and sorbent boom was deployed by a Coast Guard Station Jones Beach 25-foot response boat crew shortly after the commercial vessel E.T., homeported in Woodcleft Canal, N.Y., sank.

TradeWinds Environmental, Inc. and the Department of Environmental Conservation also responded to the spill and will continue the cleaning effort.

“Our boat crew was able to get on scene quickly and immediately worked to deploy containment and sorbent boom to further mitigate the spill,” said Lt. Douglas Miller, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound’s command duty officer.

Weather on scene was reported at 5 mile per hour winds and calm seas.