VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The body of a missing swimmer who was seen in distress swimming at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront near 12th Street and the Boardwalk Sunday afternoon was recovered Monday afternoon, according to Virginia Beach Police.
VBPD responded, along with Virginia Beach Fire, Ocean Rescue and the Coast Guard, around 4 p.m. Sunday, but despite their efforts, were not able to locate him.
Maline Schenk was at the beach with her family on the boardwalk at 12th Street when she heard screams coming from the oceanfront.
"There was a lady frantically shouting for help," Schenk said. "It took a moment to realize what was going on. She and someone else said that somebody was drowning. I called 911 right away; it took a minute to get through, but once I did, fire and rescue and lifeguards were out there pretty quickly."
The 23-year-old man, who police say was visiting from out of town, was spotted on the beach around noon on Monday.
The man was not identified by police.
He had been swimming with friends when he began signaling for help, poilice said. A bystander tried to rescue him but was unsuccessful.
The search, which included rescue swimmers, drones, boats and a Coast Guard helicopter, was called off later in the evening Sunday.
"It hurts your heart; it's sad for anything like this to happen to anybody, whether you know them or not. It makes me feel for that person's family," Schenk added.
Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service extended its schedule this year with lifeguards on duty through Neptune Festival Weekend. However, this past weekend and for the upcoming week, guards will only be on patrol, not stationed in stands.
