A 17-year-old drowned in the Atlantic Ocean off Cocoa Beach on Saturday, May 2, Cocoa Beach Police said, bringing the total number of drowning deaths in Cocoa Beach to three in less than a month.
Rescue personnel responded to Lori Wilson Park at 1:55 p.m. May 2 following reports that two juveniles, ages 12 and 17, were in distress in the water. Brevard County Ocean Rescue lifeguards safely brought the 12-year-old to shore.
Police said that after an extensive search, the 17-year-old was located submerged and unresponsive. Both youths received emergency medical care at the scene and were transported to the hospital, where the 17-year-old was pronounced deceased.
This follows the drownings of two people on April 14 in Cocoa Beach after they were caught in a rip current. Jason Michael DeGray, a father of three from Connecticut, rushed into the water to save his 12-year-old son. He got his son to safety, but the current pulled him back out. Ebony Mount, a Good Samaritan from Ohio, also died trying to save the boy.
Rip current warnings had been issued May 2 for Cocoa Beach.
Cocoa Beach Police said their investigation is ongoing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Teen drowns in Cocoa Beach, third death in a month
Reporting by Florida Today / Florida Today
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