Two men from New York drowned and another was hospitalized after they were caught in dangerous rip currents at a beach in Miami Tuesday morning.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said three tourists had to be rescued from an unguarded area of Haulover Beach Tuesday due to the rip currents.
Officials said the three people were swimming in an unguarded area when they began to struggle.
An off-duty police officer who was at the beach jumped into the water to help and assisted Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lifeguards, officials said.
Fire officials said two unconscious patients were taken to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead. Police identified the victims as Chaim Parnes, 66, and Isack Rosenberg, 67.
One of the men was from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the other man was from Kiryas Joel in Orange County.
The other man was pulled from the water but was OK, officials said.
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Isaac Abraham, an Orthodox Jewish community leader in Williamsburg, said in a statement he grew up with the victims and went to school with them. He said he watched them "both grow up to be great leaders and entrepreneurs."
"We all lost a friend, family member, leader," said Abraham.
