A 77-year-old woman died after being pulled from the water at a New York City beach — just hours before a man drowned in a rip current in New Jersey.
On Monday, August 11, at about 6:14 p.m., New York police responded to a 911 call about a person floating in the water at Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn. When officers arrived, they found the woman, later identified as Liudmila Marchenko, unconscious. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Police are still investigating the incident.
Video from the Citizen app showed first responders rushing to the scene. The drowning happened right after lifeguards had ended their shifts for the day, which run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to NYC Parks. Officials warn that swimming is banned when lifeguards are off duty or in areas marked as closed with signs or red flags.
Less than an hour later, at Seaside Heights beach in New Jersey, several swimmers were caught in a rip current. Around 7 p.m., first responders rushed to the scene after reports of people struggling in the water. Rescuers using a jet ski and a rescue swimmer pulled six people to safety, officials said.
One man was found half-submerged in the water and brought to shore. Despite CPR efforts, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Three other swimmers were taken to the hospital for treatment and are now recovering.
Lifeguards at Seaside Heights had left around 5 p.m. that day, and due to rough ocean conditions, swimmers had only been allowed to go into the water up to their knees, according to NJ.com.
