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26th June 2018
03:24pm BST
An Irishman is missing in New York after an early morning swim in New York.
The man, who has been named as Neil Gibbons, was last seen swimming with friends at Long Beach at around 2am on Monday.
Reports are saying that Neil Gibbons is a Limerick native.
The Long Beach Fire Commissioner, Scott Kemins told New York CBS that:
"They knew they were getting in trouble. They got out and when they turned around, their friend was gone and they couldn’t locate him.
"They spent about 10 or 15 minutes looking for him before they notified 911, in which time we were notified."
A huge search operation was carried out shortly after which covered 650 miles of the beach in just over a day.
The search has since been suspended, however, and dive teams have not been called upon as the water is currently too dangerous.
The US Coast Guard has urged people to wear a life jacket if they plan on entering open water.
"The ocean, even near the shoreline, can be unpredictable and overtake even the strongest swimmer.
"Always be alert to current conditions, especially any rip-tide warnings, and only enter the water when a lifeguard is present."
