A 17-year-old boy who was pulled from the water at Rockaway Beach on Sunday evening died after being caught in a rip current, leaving his mother clinging to the few belongings he left behind.
Incident Details
Patrice Thompson, the boy’s mother, said her son, Sir Audley Sykes, urged lifeguards to save his friend first when they were both caught in the rip current. Sykes and his best friend were swimming near Beach 84th Street when they got into trouble.
Thompson said her son was a great football player and that the memories of his accomplishments and happy times help her hold onto the good times. She also mentioned that her son had just left her a birthday gift on her bed before the incident.
The FDNY had visited Rockaway Beach in late July to teach swimmers how to stay safe in hazardous conditions. This incident is the first drowning at a city beach this summer.
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
