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Mostly Cloudy School trip turns tragic in Long Beach
12-year-old girl drowns on day when lifeguards are not on duty
Jason Fields's son was scared. His classmate at Harlem's Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering, 12-year-old Nicole Suriel, was missing in the waters off Long Beach during a class trip on Tuesday, a day that took a tragic turn when, despite frantic rescue efforts, Nicole drowned.
"He was very shaken up," Fields, a Manhattan resident, said of his son. "... All I can say is that as a parent, I really was shocked by this."
This latest incident unfolded less than a month after the city's first drowning death of the year. On May 29, the body of Emanuel Tiburcio, 19, of Brooklyn, washed up in Atlantic Beach, three days after he disappeared in the water off Edwards Boulevard. Earlier this month, The Herald reported that there were more than 20 rescues of distressed swimmers this spring, most of whom were not Long Beach residents.
On Tuesday morning, two dozen students from the school — supervised by three teachers and an undergraduate intern — came to Long Beach for a day that was supposed to be both fun and educational, Fields said. Despite the signs indicating that no lifeguards were on duty -— city guards will not begin full-time beach patrol until Saturday -— some of the Columbia Secondary School students went into the water near Edwards Boulevard, city officials said. At some point, according to City Manager Charles Theofan, while other students were swimming, Suriel disappeared and was last seen struggling between two jetties.
"The water was perfectly calm, but there were some strong currents," Theofan said. "It's too early to determine if that's why she went under."
Theofan said that some 25 off-duty lifeguards, many of whom were preparing the beach for the start of the summer season this weekend, took part in a massive, coordinated search for the girl, an effort that involved divers, boats and helicopters.
"We wouldn't give up," said Long Beach Fire Chief Scott Kemins. "We went longer than we normally would. You're dealing with a 12-year-old girl -— it's devastating."
