A warning as people head down to Ocean City, lifeguards are not on duty yet.
One man drowned the weekend. Around 3:30pm Saturday afternoon, the Ocean City Fire Department was called for a missing swimmer in the area of 25th Street.
Rescue teams started searching the area for the submerged swimmer, a male in his twenties. The Ocean City Beach Patrol also joined the search effort, along with members of the United States Coast Guard and Maryland Natural Resources Police.
The search was stopped on Saturday. Sunday morning Ocean City Police responded to the area of 4th Street and the beach.
Someone walking on the beach found a body. Members of the Major Crimes Unit and Forensic Services responded to the scene. Detectives were able to identify the individual as Praise Ezechibueze, the 21-year-old missing swimmer from New Jersey.
The Ocean City Beach Patrol will return to guarding the beach on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
Until that time they are reminding visitors of the Beach Patrol’s motto: “Keep Your Feet in the Sand until the Lifeguard’s in the Stand”. Ocean City is prone to strong rip currents, which can occur at any surf beach with breaking waves.