17-year-old dies after vanishing in water at popular beach, Florida cops say
A 17-year-old boy died after he vanished in the water at a popular Florida beach, officials said.
The teenager was swimming with at least one other person when he went into deeper water and disappeared Sunday, Feb. 26, according to the Indialantic Police Department and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy was reported missing at about 5:30 p.m., sparking a multi-agency search on the ocean. The teen was pulled from the water, received on-scene medical assistance and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, sheriff’s office spokesperson Tod Goodyear told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
Deputies believe the teen, a Palm Bay resident, drowned after being caught in a rip current. Officials have urged people to use caution in the water, as the teen’s death marks the fifth tied to the Brevard coast since November, according to Florida Today.
Before his death, the 17-year-old had been at the boardwalk near Fifth and Wave Crest avenues in Indialantic, roughly 70 miles southeast of Orlando, officials said. State and local officials participated in the search, the Indialantic Police Department wrote on Facebook.
Rip currents “move perpendicular to shore” and can pose dangers for beachgoers. If you’re caught in a rip current, the best way to get to safety “is by swimming parallel to the shore instead of towards it,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on its website.
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 11:55 AM with the headline "17-year-old dies after vanishing in water at popular beach, Florida cops say."
