SANDY HOOK: RED BANK MAN’S BODY FOUND
The body of a swimmer who went missing off Sandy Hook at dusk Wednesday was found by a fisherman early Friday, according to a news report.
The victim was positively identified as 25-year-old Andros Vega-Pena of Red Bank, according to National Park Service spokeswoman Daphne Yun.
The unidentified 25-year-old man’s body was found by a fisherman between beaches B & C at about 6 a.m, Yun said.
An autopsy will determine the cause of death, abc7ny reported.
Vega-Pena was reported to have been swimming in the Atlantic Ocean with a group at Beach B at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when he was seen in distress, Yun said.
Lifeguards were off-duty at the time on that beach, but others working at a concert at Lot E responded to the scene, she said.
Water and air searches continued until Thursday afternoon, when authorities reclassified the search as a recovery effort they said would continue on shore, with periodic flyovers.
Park officials advised visitors to swim only in the vicinity of lifeguards.
In addition to park service lifeguards and the NYPD, the search was aided by the Coast Guard, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s office, and police and emergency volunteers from Sea Bright, Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, she said.