Officials: Body of missing swimmer recovered in Long Beach

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Long Beach police and fire officials said that the body of a man believed to be 30-year-old swimmer Neil Gibbons, who went missing Monday, was recovered on Wednesday morning.

Lt. Mark Stark, a spokesman for the Police Department, said that a couple on the beach found a man’s body between Edwards and Riverside boulevards on the shoreline just after 1 a.m. and notified police.

“We’re guessing it’s him,” said Stark, who emphasized that the Nassau County medical examiner has yet to make a positive identification.

Stark said that police informed Gibbons’s family.

Rescue crews suspended recovery efforts Monday night after searching for Gibbons, who went for a late-night swim with friends at Long Beach Boulevard beach.

The search for Gibbons, an Ireland native who was believed to be living in Brooklyn, started at around 2 a.m. on Monday, but he was unable to be located. Long Beach police, firefighters, lifeguards the U.S. Coast Guard and other first responders scoured the water and the shoreline.

“After searching extensively throughout the night and daylight hours, in coordination with our partner agencies, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our search,” said Commander Andrew Ely, chief of response, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.

Long Beach Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins said first responders were notified that multiple swimmers were in distress at Long Beach Boulevard beach early Monday.

“Upon arrival, three males had been swimming in the ocean, two of which were able to make it out safely,” the Fire Department said on its Facebook page. “The third male had gone missing in the rough surf and the water rescue matrix was activated. The Long Beach Police Department, Long Beach lifeguards, United States Coast Guard, Nassau County Police Marine & Aviation Bureau, Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department, Atlantic Beach Rescue and NYPD Air and Sea Rescue all operated at the scene.”

Rescue crews searched for about two hours before they declared it a recovery mission and continued searching, Kemins said. They covered more than 650 miles for 29 hours, according to the Coast Guard.

Kemins said the water was extremely rough, and that two men noticed their friend was missing.

"The three of them were in the water, two got out and they realized their friend didn't come out," Kemins said. "They were screaming and looking for him."

It was the second time a swimmer went missing in a week. On June 19, a 10-year-old boy from Hempstead entered the water at Edwards Boulevard beach with his 11-year-old brother when both began to struggle in rough water.

Both incidents occurred while lifeguards were not on duty, when swimming is prohibited.