Coast Guard suspends search for man missing off Long Beach, N.Y.

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/25/2018 10:24 PM EDT

united states coast guard 

  •  
News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 1st District PA Detachment New York
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment New York
Office: (212) 514-4291
After Hours: (917) 703-0983
PA Detachment New York online newsroom

Coast Guard suspends search for missing man off Long Beach, N.Y.

Editor’s note: The man's age was listed as 31-years-old in the previous release

NEW YORK — The Coast Guard suspended their search Monday night for a 30-year-old man missing in the waters off Long Beach, New York.

Missing is Neil Gibbons, a native of Ireland.

Gibbons was last seen swimming with friends off Long Beach, in the vicinity of Long Beach Boulevard, at 2 a.m., Monday.

The friends made it safely to shore and called 911. Nassau County dispatchers then notified Coast Guard Station Jones Beach of the situation.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command center were then informed of the missing swimmer and coordinated a search effort with multiple agencies.

During the rescue effort, searchers covered more than 650-miles for a total of 29-hours.

Involved in the search were:

  • A Coast Guard Station Jones Beach 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew
  • A Coast Guard Station Jones Beach 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew
  • A Coast Guard Station Fire Island 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew
  • An aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
  • An aircrew aboard an HC-144A Ocean Sentry aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
  • Coast Guard Cutter Bonito, an 87-foot Patrol Boat homeported in Montauk, New York
  • NYPD Aviation
  • Nassau County Aviation
  • Nassau County Marine Unit
  • Long Beach Fire Rescue
  • Long Beach Police Department
  • Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department
“After searching extensively throughout the night and daylight hours, in coordination with our partner agencies, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our search,” said Cmdr. Andrew Ely, chief of response, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.
The Coast Guard urges anyone who enters open water to wear a life jacket. The ocean, even near the shoreline, can be unpredictable and overtake even the strongest swimmer. Always be alert to current conditions, especially any rip-tide warnings, and only enter the water when a lifeguard is present.

-USCG-