A Queens woman died after going in he waters at Jacob Riis beach after-hours on Saturday. Responding to a distress call about people in the water, police from the 100th precinct found 25-year-old Peala Jimenez of Ozone Park lying unconscious on the sand around 6:50 p.m., along with a 26-year-old male whose identity has not yet been released.
First responders with the FDNY arrived on the scene and transported the pair, who were in serious condition, to St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway. The man remains in serious, if stable, condition, but Jimenez died around 8 p.m. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
Around 6 p.m. on Saturday, waves at Rockaway Beach reportedly reached 3 to 4 feet in height, with onshore winds between 20 and 28 mph, and a riptide warning had been in effect all day. Firefighters who answered the call attested to rough conditions on the water, an FDNY spokesperson said, and added that incidents like this were not unusual during the summer, when people keep swimming after the lifeguards go off duty. At time of publication, the National Parks Service—which runs the Gateway National Recreation Area, of which Jacob Riis is part—had not returned request for comment on Saturday's riptides, but they've historically been a danger for swimmers at Rockaway. Officially, visitors are advised to stay out of the water unless there are lifeguards on duty, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
