BREVARD COUNTY, Fla – A teenager has died after a drowning at a Brevard County beach, police said.
Cocoa Beach police said the incident happened Saturday afternoon at Lori Wilson Park as worsening weather conditions brought rough surf.
Officers said a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old were caught in the surf and struggling to swim.
Lifeguards rescued the 12-year-old, police said, then began an extensive search for the 17-year-old. The older teen was later found submerged and unresponsive and was pulled from the water by lifeguards and firefighters, police said.
Both the 12-year-old and 17-year-old were taken to a nearby hospital where the 17-year-old later was pronounced dead, police said in a statement to News 6.
The death comes after rough weather affected parts of Central Florida’s coastline Friday and Saturday. It is the third reported drowning at a Brevard County beach this year.
On April 14, Cocoa Beach Fire Rescue responded to four people caught in a rip current. A 42-year-old man from Connecticut and a 34-year-old woman from Ohio were taken to Cape Canaveral Hospital, where both later were pronounced dead, officials said.
The earlier deaths came after orange lifesaving rings were removed from the shoreline amid a lawsuit between the Cocoa Beach Rotary Club and Drown Zero, the company that supplied the rings. As of Sunday, the rings were back up and ready for use.
Cocoa Beach police have not confirmed whether Saturday’s incident was related to a rip current. Brevard Beach Safety advises swimmers who are caught in a rip current to swim with the current, not against it, until they are clear, then swim back to shore at an angle.
Cocoa Beach police have not released the identities of the children. This remains an active investigation.