FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A boy vanished while swimming in the ocean on Friday in Fort Lauderdale Beach and a dive team found him dead after he drowned, police said.
The 13-year-old boy, who was visiting from Lake Worth with the Team Jordan Basketball Club, was swimming with a group when the water got “rough” and lifeguards intervened, according to a teammate’s parent.
A team of first responders near Seabreeze Boulevard -- including Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue -- searched for the boy for nearly 2 hours.
“Unfortunately, we have not located anyone and have ended our search,” Frank Ortiz, a spokesman for FLFR, said in a statement.
The U.S. Coast Guard and FLPD continued searching and a police dive team found the boy’s body. According to Casey Liening, a spokeswoman for FLPD, police officers suspect it was “an accidental drowning.”
The Local 10 News Weather Authority reported there was a high rip current risk in effect through Sunday evening. Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.