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Swimmer at Fire Island drowns in waters still roiled by Hurricane Erin
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Aug 24, 2025
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Steve Pfost/Newsday RM via Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Aug 24, 2025
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A South Carolina man drowned while swimming at Sailors Haven Beach on Fire Island on Saturday afternoon, the Suffolk County Police Department said.
Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was caught in a rip current that pulled him west along the shoreline, police said. He was rescued by lifeguards about 2:45 p.m. and received aid from Fire Island National Seashore employees, but was later pronounced dead at South Shore University Hospital.
It’s uncertain whether swimmers were cleared to enter the water at Sailors Haven when Mohammed drowned. Long Island beaches reopened to swimming on Saturday, after being closed due to hazardous conditions along the East Coast caused by Hurricane Erin.
The National Weather Service continues to warn of possible rip currents caused by Erin, now a post-tropical cyclone after moving farther out to sea.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday announced swimming at two Long Island state park beaches could resume, including at Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park.
New York City’s Office of Emergency Management continues to warn of high risk rip currents at regional beaches until Sunday at 8:00 p.m. The warning advises swimmers not to swim on “red-flagged” beaches where a lifeguard isn’t present.
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fire island
public safety
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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