The 18-year-old who went missing in the choppy waters off Rockaway Beach earlier this week was a Bronx high school senior set to graduate next month.
Heartbroken relatives identified the teen as Brandon Figueroa of Soundview, whose “future was full of promise.”
Figueroa “was a good kid, a senior at The Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters, and was about to graduate next month,” his mom, Jeanette Munoz, wrote in a GoFundMe.
“Our family is struggling to cope with this unforeseen and devastating loss.”
Munoz said her son aspired to be an electrician and planned to attend trade school.
Figueroa was one of about five swimmers who went into the waters near 73rd Street and Shore Front Parkway at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Onlooker Nemaiah Dos Santos recalled to The Post that “five of them went running out, four of them came out, and one of the four was carrying the boy out, literally trying to pull him back in.
“But how far they were into the water, it swept him out of his hand,” said Dos Santos.
Figueroa’s friends called 911 after he was swept away.
“I just started crying so bad for the boy, cause it’s like it’s one thing to see that happen, but it’s another thing to be the person trying to at least help, and that s–t broke me,” said Dos Santos.
Julian Eastmead, who witnessed the commotion recalled commotion as well.
“I couldn’t hear too much, but it was just literally tears, cell phone in hand, crying, trying to tell whoever brought them to the beach that they’re not going to be able to bring whoever was at the beach with them home,” said Eastmead.
FDNY and NYPD personnel launched an air and sea search for Figueroa, but were unable to locate him.
Lifeguards are not on duty at Big Apple beaches until Memorial Day weekend.
