Divers found the body of a teenager hours after they were reported missing in the water of Fort Lauderdale Beach. NBC6’s Niko Clemmons reports
A teen's body was found in the water after reports of a missing swimmer at Fort Lauderdale Beach, police said.
A missing swimmer was reported at around 4:42 p.m. in the ocean near the 800 block of Seabreeze Boulevard, according to Fort Lauderdale Police.
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WATCH HEREFLPD's dive team and several boats were seen out in the ocean searching for the swimmer.
Divers found the teen's body just after 8 p.m. and determined the cause was accidental drowning.
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A parent told NBC6 that her son was in the water with several of his basketball teammates, and they were having a hard time getting back to shore. Lifeguards ran to save them.
“He said the water was rough and they brought him back in, and they noticed one of their teammates was still out there and they kept trying to tell the lifeguard that,” she said.
The group is from Lake Worth, and they were in town to bond as a team, the parent said. Several parents were with them as well.
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The teen's teammates held onto each other as they waited and hoped for good news.
“It's devastating because no one ever wants to get this phone call regarding their child,” the parent said. “The kids are devastated, crying and hugging each other, so it's going to be hard.”
Hundreds of people on the beach describe the conditions in almost the same way.
“I saw the waves getting harder and harder,” Ruth Gomez said.
“It's dangerous out there,” Greg Waldman said.
Gomez was with her cousins when she saw the chaos around them.
“All I saw is them panicking, they're crying, especially the little ones,” Gomez said. “It's very sad because she's 12, and if that was me, I would have been upset. As being a Christian, I hoped that today is Good Friday, I didn't expect this to be a bad Friday.”
The teen's identity or age was not released. Per protocol, Fort Lauderdale Police are conducting a death investigation.
Check back with NBC6 for updates.
