Swimmer's Body Recovered Off Long Beach

The Long Beach Fire Department announced Wednesday morning that the body of Neil Gibbons, who went missing when he and friends went swimming early Monday morning, has been recovered.

Gibbons, a 30-year-old man from Ireland, went swimming with three friends off Long Beach Boulevard around 2 a.m. Monday. His friends made it back to shore, but Gibbons didn't.

An exhaustive search was launched to rescue Gibbons, which lasted 29 hours and covered more than 650 miles. The Coast Guard, New York Police Department, Nassau County Police Department and the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department, along with Long Beach's first responders, all participated.

The Coast Guard called off its search Tuesday morning, but Long Beach and Nassau County agencies kept looking, which was how Gibbons' body was recovered.

It is the second time in a week that someone has drowned while swimming in the waters off Long Beach. Last week, a 10-year-old boy drowned while swimming with his brother. His body was recovered on Sunday.

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