Updated

Brooklyn man dies after beach rescue

Long Beach lifeguards pulled two swimmers from water at Edwards Boulevard

Posted

One of two swimmers who were caught in a rip current on Monday died after Long Beach lifeguards pulled the men from the water at Edwards Boulevard beach during an after-hours rescue.

Police have identified the victim as 26-year-old Rudolfo Alverez, of Brooklyn, who was in Long Beach with a group of friends and co-workers.

The incident occurred at 6:26 p.m., shortly after the beaches were closed to swimmers and lifeguards were off-duty. Police Commissioner Mike Tangney said that Alverez, who worked at a restaurant in Manhattan, and his friends came to the beach at around 3:45 p.m.

“They were playing on the beach and hanging out, and at 6:21 p.m., one of the friends noticed that [Alverez] and another gentleman were pretty far out and struggling in the water,” Tangney said.

Tangney said that the men became caught in a rip current, on a day when the National Weather Service issued a high rip current risk through Tuesday.

An after-hours emergency lifeguard crew, off-duty lifeguards who were surfing nearby and the Police Department’s summer specials rushed to the scene, Lifeguard Chief Paul Gillespie said, adding that the victims were not supposed to be in the water. Both he and Tangney said that the group had been instructed not to swim by lifeguards who were finishing their shift.

A friend called 911, Tangney said, and Long Beach firefighters were alerted by lifeguards that two men in distress were pulled from the water, both unresponsive.

“We usually have a truck here with about five people if we get a call from the police so we can respond,” Gillespie said on Tuesday. “This crew has saved hundreds of people, and the water was bad yesterday — we pulled out about 20 people throughout the day.”

Gillespie said that though the water may have appeared calm at times, the rip currents were strong and could be deceiving.

“They probably stepped in a hole and next thing you know — they were gone,” he said.

Firefighters, medics and police also responded to the scene; upon arrival, Alverez was in cardiac arrest. CPR was performed as he was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital’s emergency room in Long Beach by an LBFD ambulance.

“The lifeguards came right away — within a minute,” said Long Beach resident Maylan Studart, who witnessed the incident and described an urgent scene. “They started doing CPR on the boy on the ground and they went out in the water to get another person. They brought the other guy back from the water and started CPR on him too.”

Officials said that the second victim, who was not identified, was conscious when firefighters arrived at the scene. He was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital by an Island Park Fire Department ambulance in stable condition.

Tangney said that Alverez’s husband and sister were notified. His family could not immediately be reached for comment.

The incident comes a year after 23-year-old Kashawn Carlos, also of Brooklyn, drowned after he went swimming after hours at National Boulevard, which prompted the city to extend its swimming hours on the weekends in July from 6 to 7 p.m.

“It was a really, really unfortunate accident, but it just shows you how your life can change in a split second, especially when it comes to the ocean,” Studart said.