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Naked Nightswimmer Found After 8 Hours
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 13, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 13, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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A Brooklyn resident who went swimming in the buff off Long Beach was lost overnight until the Coast Guard found him yesterday morning. Newsday reports that Neal Mello went for a swim around 9:30PM on Saturday night. He "left his clothes, phone and wallet beside a friend, who then fell asleep on the sand near Edwards Avenue."
According to authorities, when the friend awoke around 10PM, she became worried that he was still gone, so she took his belongings and went to report that he was missing. Newsday reports that "A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter, two Jones Beach station rescue boats," plus Nassau County Marine Police, searched for Mello. They finally found him close to where he started his swim, clinging to a pier.
The Coast Guard said Mello was "hesitant about coming out because he did not have any clothes on." It's unclear whether he actually came out of the water at some point during the night but went back in after discovering his clothes were gone.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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