Crime & Safety
Coast Guard Suspends Search For Missing Teenager in Ocean City
The teenager went missing after being caught in a rip tide Sunday evening.
The Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing 14-year-old boy shortly before 4 p.m. Monday, the Coast Guard announced Monday afternoon.
The boy went missing Sunday night after getting caught in a rip tide near 9th Street.
The Coast Guard searched for about 20 hours, covering more than 20 square miles by air and sea.
"Our sincerest condolences go out to his family during this incredibly difficult time," said Capt. Kathy Moore, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, in Philadelphia.
A 25-foot Response Boat — Small crew from Coast Guard Station — Small Great Egg, a 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, a New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, the Ocean City Fire Department and several good Samaritans helped search for the boy.
A group of individuals entered the water of an unprotected beach off 9th Street in Ocean City Sunday evening, around 6:45 p.m. and quickly got caught in a rip tide and swept out from the beach.
Several others who attempted to help them also get caught in the rip tide, according to the Ocean City Department of Fire and Rescue Services.
The Ocean City Beach Patrol Rapid Response Team was activated from 12th Street and arrived on location within a minute. The response team rescued and removed 14 people from the water. It was then discovered that the 14-year-old boy was missing.
Teams of firefighters and beach patrol began searching the water utilizing ropes and rescue equipment. The nearby jetty was searched with divers and swimmers.
The Ocean City Police Marine Unit, United States Coast Guard and Fire Department jet skis searched the waters off the beach. The search continued for approximately two hours and was called off due to unsafe conditions and darkness.The search resumed at 6 a.m., with fire department and police personnel patrolling the coast line until the lifeguards returned for duty at 9:30 a.m.
The Coast Guard recommends staying calm when caught in a rip current. Do not fight the current and when free of the current, swim at an angle – away from the current – toward shore.
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