The US Coast Guard has called off its search for a man who went swimming with friends in the waters off of Long Beach, LI…
The US Coast Guard has called off its search for a man who went swimming with friends in the waters off of Long Beach, LI — the second person to vanish in those waters in a week.
The search for the missing man, identified as Ireland native Neil Gibbons, 30, was suspended Monday night after rescuers covered more than 650 miles for a total of 29 hours and found no sign of Gibbons, the Coast Guard said.
Gibbons was last seen swimming with friends off Long Beach near Long Beach Boulevard at around 2 a.m. on Monday.
His pals made it to the shore and called 911.
“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 Cmdr. Andrew Ely, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.
Those involved in the search included Coast Guard response boats, aircrews, along with the NYPD’s Aviation Unit.
The Coast Guard said it “urges anyone who enters open water to wear a life jacket.”
“The ocean, even near the shoreline, can be unpredictable and overtake even the strongest swimmer. Always be alert to current conditions, especially any rip-tide warnings, and only enter the water when a lifeguard is present,” the Coast Guard said.
Just one week ago, a 10-year-old Ramel McCrae, went missing in the waters off Ocean Beach Park near Edwards Boulevard – not far from where Gibbons disappeared.
The boy, from Hempstead, had been swimming unsupervised with his 11-year-old brother about 6 p.m. last Tuesday before the siblings became separated, cops said.
The victim’s older brother managed to make it safely out of the water.
On Sunday, the body of a child was recovered from the waters off the coast of Long Beach, and officials are working to determine whether it is McCrae.
