Bodies Of Two Jet Skiers Recovered From Coney Island Waters

Source: Eyeline-Imagery/Flickr

The bodies of two people who went missing this past Thursday were discovered by a police rescue team at the bottom of a Coney Island waterway. NBC News reported that the pair had been jet skiing without life jackets when the tragedy occurred.

Willie Tom, 44, and Celine Fu, 29, were last seen jet skiing on the waters by West 31st Street and Neptune Avenue at 8:00 p.m. on July 4. Off-duty police officers and an off-duty Coast Guard member saw Tom leap off his jet ski after Fu apparently fell off, attempting to save her. After seeing that both Tom and Fu failed to resurface one of the off-duty cops dove in to find them but also had to be saved by rescuers.

The Coast Guard then conducted a 17-hour search, finding two bodies that they believed to be Tom and Fu at 1 p.m. the following Friday. The Coast Guard and police warned that this tragedy highlighted the importance of wearing life jackets whenever anyone takes to the deep waters.