A teen who disappeared into the waters off Rockaway Beach while swimming with his friends as a heat wave gripped the city last month was found dead nearly two weeks later, according to cops and his family.
The body of Brandon Figueroa, 18 was found floating near the shoreline around 5:20 p.m. May 30 at Beach 222nd Street and Rockaway Point Boulevard in Breezy Point, authorities said.
The grim discovery came 11 days after Figueroa drifted into the current while swimming with his pals about 8 miles away at Beach 73rd Street and Shore Front Parkway.
In a heartbreaking GoFundMe post, Figueroa’s mom Jeanette Munoz said her son was swept away because of “a big wave and a strong riptide,” and he couldn’t be found despite the best efforts of the FDNY and NYPD.
“Brandon was a good kid, a senior at The Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters, and was about to graduate next month,” Munoz wrote. “He had plans to attend trade school to become an electrician, and his future was full of promise. Our family is struggling to cope with this unforeseen and devastating loss.”
A witness previously told The Post the missing teen was among about five swimmers who jumped into the ocean as temperatures in the Big Apple soared above 90 degrees.
“Five of them went running out, four of them came out, and one of the four was carrying the boy out, literally trying to pull him back in, but how far they were into the water, it swept him out of his hand,” recalled Nemaiah Dos Santos, who couldn’t help “crying so bad for the boy.”
The witness said the group was “about where the rocks end,” and that most waves in Rockaway Beach crash before they get close to the shoreline, indicating a steep drop-off.
The fire department deployed rescue swimmers, drones, and marine units, but weren’t immediately able to locate the teen.
The NYPD’s specialized scuba and aviation units later joined the search.
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