Monday, July 3, 2023 3:53AM
ARVERNE, Queens (WABC) — A 14-year-old boy drowned in Queens on Sunday.
It happened at Beach 73rd and Rockaway Beach at 6 p.m.
The boy’s mother was there and witnessed people pulling her son from the water.
“I was there praying with the mom. I gave her my towel. My towel is still on the beach. As a mom, I don’t play,” said Sharon Grant.
Lifeguards left the beach around 5:30 p.m. – then someone came yelling that someone was in the water.
That is when Basia Lewandowski, an ex-lifeguard, jumped into action. She says the beach closed early because of thunder and lightning – and most of the lifeguards headed back up to their clubhouse. She grabbed a whistle, and her friend, a fellow lifeguard ran right into the waves.
“We do what we call a diving line. And so the lifeguards started diving. It was a miracle we found his body,” said Lewandowski.
Sadly, as long as they tried to hold onto hope, the teen could not be saved in the end.
“It’s a horror, an absolute horror to start a holiday and lose someone like that, but you can’t swim when there’s no lifeguards,” said eyewitness Tim Moriarty.
Bystanders estimate the teen was underwater for several minutes.
Police say he was pronounced dead at St. John’s Hospital.
ALSO READ | Shots fired by police as driver takes off on the Goethals Bridge
———-
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2023 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
