Tragedy at the beach: Teen gets caught in rough waters, drowns in the Rockaways

It was a tragic holiday weekend in Rockaway Beach, Queens, where a teenage boy ended up losing his life after getting caught in rough waters.

The tragedy unfolded Sunday around 6 p.m. near Beach 75th Street and the Rockaway Beach boardwalk.

Beachgoers present during the tragic episode estimate that the child was under water for several minutes. Witnesses say that the boy's mother was present when people pulled her son from the rough waters.

The Parks Department says red flags went up and the beach was closed early due to bad weather, lightening and thunder. It appears that lifeguards left the area around 5:30 p.m.

Subsequently, people started yelling that someone was struggling in the water. A retired lifeguard who was present and a friend, who happened to be an active lifeguard, went into the waves and reached the body of the teenager. First responders arrived at the scene and tried to revive the boy. Unfortunately, despite the heroic efforts, the boy could not be saved.

"The lifeguard started diving. It is a miracle we found his body, " Basia Lewandowski, a retired lifeguard, said.

Sharon Grant, a witness, said she threw her towel so that first responders could help the boy.

"They went into CPR and tried to shock him back to see if there was any life there," Grant said. "I didn't look at him because I was praying with the mom."

Authorities have not released the teen's name.

The circumstances that led to the drowning remain under investigation.