A 14-year-old boy has gone missing off the New Jersey coast after entering the water during a school trip, just two days before he was set to graduate.
Davoris Carter disappeared Monday afternoon at Wildwood beach while on the outing, and his swim shorts were later found by his mother on the sand. As theGrio has previously reported, Black teens have faced deadly outcomes at New Jersey beaches due to strong currents and inadequate supervision, and theGrio has also covered cases of missing Black teens whose disappearances drew widespread community concern.
According to the New York Post, first responders arrived just after 1:35 p.m. after receiving reports of swimmers in distress, with one officer pulling three others to safety before fire crews reached the scene.
Carter’s grandmother Kenya Pippen said a family member who had been with him at the beach had stepped away to get food when he entered the water. She said four children were swimming toward a flag, but no supervising adults entered the water with them.
“There were no lifeguards present at all, and they still allowed these children with special needs to get into the water with no adults,” Pippen said. She added that Carter was fully clothed when he went in.
Wildwood Fire Department Chief Ernie Troiano told reporters strong currents complicated rescue efforts. “The water was running pretty strong north to south when we went down there, so our rescue efforts were focused on that,” Troiano said. A U.S. Coast Guard vessel searched waters around 500 yards near Morey’s Piers, with helicopters and drones also deployed. New Jersey police drove ATVs along the shoreline in the ongoing search.
The three swimmers rescued from the water were identified as two juveniles and a 19-year-old, who was hospitalized. Davoris Carter remained missing as of Monday evening.
His grandmother remembered him simply: “He’s just a kid. He was supposed to graduate on Wednesday.”
