Corinthian Hammond, 14, of the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia is the presumed victim of a drowning in Ocean City, NJ. Photo courtesy of WPVI-TV, 6 ABC.
The teenager who disappeared in the ocean off Ninth Street on Sunday evening in Ocean City has been identified as Corinthian Hammond, 14, of the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia.
Hammond was swimming with family members when they were pulled into deeper water by a rip current near the Ninth Street jetty. The regular Ocean City Beach Patrol was off duty when the swimmers got in trouble about 6:45 p.m. (June 29), but a Rapid Response Team was on the scene within a minute with a personal watercraft and lifeguards traveling by ATV. They rescued 14 people at the scene. Hammond was not among them.
Searches with divers, Coast Guard helicopters, boats and patrols on the beach on Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday morning have not found the missing swimmer, who is presumed drowned.
On Tuesday morning, a pair of new permanent signs warned beach visitors to stay off the jetty.
The beach at Ninth Street is clearly marked with other permanent and temporary signs warning bathers that the beach is closed when lifeguards are not on duty.
The surf on Sunday evening was not particularly rough, but a tropical system that could move up the coast later this week could create big waves and dangerous currents for the Fourth of July weekend.
Bathers are always encouraged to swim only on beaches protected by lifeguards.
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