The body of a Florida teenager who was swept away while swimming in the ocean by a strong rip tide has been found by searchers.
Nick Alincy, 17, disappeared on Monday morning while swimming at Jensen Beach in Martin County. His body was found on Tuesday morning at Bathtub Beach, around five miles south of where he went into the water.
“Unfortunately, he drifted to this location,” said Martin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek.
He told reporters that based on a witness seeing Alincy go suddenly underwater and not resurface, it was always more likely to be a recovery and not a rescue effort.
Earlier Chief Deputy Budensiek had called it “a needle in a haystack type of a recovery operation.”
“You can never take the ocean for granted. The ocean has a mind of its own. Even strong swimmers yesterday could have gotten themselves in trouble,” he said.
He added: “While this is a horrific incident, we’re thankful that we were able to bring closure and give them peace of mind.”
Alincy’s worried family had spent Monday night searching the beach with flashlights for any sign of the teenager, who played on the Centennial Boys Varsity Soccer team.
“We empathise and sympathise with them, and we’re keeping the family in our thoughts and prayers as they process what they’ve had to deal with in the last 24 hours,” added Chief Deputy Budensiek.
