The search for a 25-year-old swimmer who disappeared in the waters off Far Rockaway after going for a dip overnight has turned into a recovery operation, authorities said Monday.
The missing man's uncle says he got a frantic call around 1 a.m. from his friends, who said that Berman Gutierrez had been hanging out with his girlfriend on the shore near Seagirt Boulevard and Beach 13th Street. He wanted to get wet, so took off his shirt and jumped in the ocean. But Gutierrez, from Nicaragua, never resurfaced, the uncle said.
NYPD officers, along with Coast Guard boats from Sandy Hook and Jones Beach, the FDNY and Long Beach firefighters scoured the waters after Gutierrez was reported missing around 2 a.m., officials said. They found nothing immediately.
Dive teams were back in the water by 9 a.m. and spent all Monday looking for him, but still found nothing.
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Sources familiar with the case say the current was intense around the time Gutierrez vanished, which expands the search area. His uncle said he knew how to swim. Red flags seen Monday in the area where the man went into the water clearly stipulate no swimming.
NBC New York learned that Gutierrez moved to the U.S. to try and support his family in Nicaragua. He has a 3-year-old daughter. His family is trying to keep their hopes up, but admits they are frustrated, as they said that Gutierrez's friends have told them different stories of what happened.
Police were looking into reports that the group was drinking on the beach before Gutierrez disappeared, News 4 was told. His uncle said he still doesn't know the truth.
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No other details were immediately available.
