Bronx Teen Missing After Being Swept Away at Rockaway Beach

An 18-year-old Bronx high school senior was swept away while swimming at Rockaway Beach on Tuesday afternoon. Family members identified the teen as Brandon Figueroa of Soundview and said he was a senior at The Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters who was scheduled to graduate next month.

His mother, Jeanette Munoz, wrote in a GoFundMe post that Figueroa was a good kid whose future was full of promise. She added that he aspired to become an electrician and planned to attend trade school.

m. Tuesday along with about five other swimmers. An onlooker told The New York Post that four of the swimmers returned to shore while one tried to pull Figueroa back but lost hold of him as he was swept farther out. Friends called 911 after Figueroa disappeared.

Fire department and police personnel conducted an air and sea search but did not locate him. Lifeguards are not on duty at city beaches until Memorial Day weekend. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with friends crying and trying to reach family members by phone.

One onlooker said the attempt to help the teen broke him emotionally.

“Our family is struggling to cope with this unforeseen and devastating loss,” Munoz wrote. She noted that Figueroa had been looking forward to graduation and starting trade school.