Search launched for missing Long Island swimmer during nor’easter

A Long Island swimmer disappeared in the waters off Robert Moses State Park as 18-foot waves impacted the beaches, caused by a nor’easter affecting the New York City region. The unidentified man was seen in the ocean near Field 3, located on Fire Island’s western tip, at around 2:30 p.m. before he vanished from view, according to New York State Police. Officials have initiated a search for the missing swimmer, described as a white male wearing dark-colored shorts. Police have not released further details about the swimmer but have requested assistance from the public in locating anyone who may have been in the area at the time. The search was suspended Saturday evening due to darkness and is expected to resume Sunday, as reported by News12. Hazardous water conditions were issued for Fire Island park on Saturday afternoon as the storm continued to affect the East Coast. The National Weather Service reported that waves averaged 18 feet, with sea levels estimated between 15 and 20 feet and occasional swells reaching 25 feet. Winds were reported to average between 35 and 45 mph, with gusts exceeding 60 mph. Long Island, along with New York City and parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, has been under storm and coastal flood warnings. The first confirmed casualty of the storm occurred roughly an hour after the swimmer disappeared. Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old worker for NYCHA, was killed when a fallen tree struck him at Brooklyn’s Cypress Hills Houses. Brown sustained trauma throughout his body when heavy winds brought down the tree at 700 Euclid Avenue around 3:30 p.m. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead shortly after 5 p.m. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani expressed condolences to Brown’s family, stating, "My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss. May he rest in peace, and may his service to our city never be forgotten." New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the lower counties of New York, advising residents to avoid swimming, surfing, and boating due to extremely dangerous rip currents and high surf conditions. The original state of emergency is in effect from Sunday as the storm is expected to peak through Sunday morning. An upper-level vortex is anticipated to merge with the cyclone a few hundred miles off New York City, directing the storm's center towards New Jersey and Long Island overnight, according to the NWS. This merger is expected to bring the full impact of the nor’easter to coastal southern New England and the northern Mid-Atlantic on Sunday morning. Long Island remains under a High Wind Warning, with gusts already causing downed trees and power outages. Nearly 17,000 customers in Suffolk County were without power, while 2,000 were affected in Nassau as of 4 a.m. Sunday, according to PowerOutage.com.