Virginia Beach Fire Department clears items from lacking swimmer search

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Officials with the Virginia Beach Fire Department have introduced that every one public security items have been cleared after they have been unable to find a lacking swimmer on the Oceanfront.

Officials with the Virginia Beach Fire Department initially advised us that items acquired a report of a lacking swimmer at 4:09 p.m. The search included rescue swimmers, fireboats, drones, and items from the Virginia Beach Police Department.

This name has now been turned over to the Virginia Beach Police Department.

The following photographs have been submitted to us from a WAVY viewer:

10 On Your Side spoke to beachgoers who noticed the preliminary response from Virginia Beach Lifesaving Services and emergency response groups.

“I feel like the lifeguards did an awesome job. They had a line, they were diving down looking, but the helicopters from the Coast Guard, it took a while for them to get here,” stated beachgoer Kevin Malzone, “it’s unfortunate, I wish they would have found the person missing.”

“I saw the lifeguards flying though the sand. That’s when I realized maybe something crazy was going on,” stated one other beachgoer Shaye Johnson, “that’s when the helicopter came maybe about 30 minutes after.”

Both say they’ve by no means seen an emergency response this massive earlier than.

“This is my first time seeing this much emergency, EMS, police traffic,” stated Johnson, “I’ve been here 4-5 times, and this is my first time seeing it.”

“I’m from Chicago, I’ve seen riots, and I actually retired from the city,” stated Malzone, “but I’ve never seen a search and rescue to this magnitude.”

Malzone says he heard somebody calling out to lifeguards earlier than the search efforts started.

“He was yelling, “after the second break, after the second break!” I received my glasses, and he simply stored screaming to the lifeguards that have been on the four-wheelers. It was devastating, anyone’s not gonna go house. It’s terrible, terrible.”

We have reached out to VBPD for extra particulars and can present any updates after they develop into accessible.