Rip Current — Southern Queens, New York

2018-09-15 · Southern Queens, New York

Event narrative

Seventeen year old Lamine Sarr, who was last seen on Saturday swimming with two friends in the surf at Beach 84th Street, was by all indications pulled out to sea by a rip current and drowned.

According to a longtime friend of all three boys who spoke with the NY Post, the Queens teenagers were not strong swimmers, and never intended to go in past their waists. After a little while they couldn't feel their feet touching the ground, they turned around, and Lamine wasn't there, the friend told the tabloid.

Two of the boys had already made it back to shore by the time first responders arrived on the scene at 5 p.m. on Saturday. But there was no sign of Sarr. The search continued until marine units were able to locate the body Sunday morning.

Wider weather episode

Long period swells from Florence, although subsiding, continued to produce 3 to 5 ft surf and high rip current activity along the Atlantic ocean beachfront on Saturday September 15th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 778074. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.