16 AUGUST 19, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Maspeth teen drowns in Rockaway Beach days after
offi cials call for proposed water safety commission
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
An 18-year-old Maspeth man
drowned while swimming in
rough surf off Rockaway Beach on
Friday, Aug. 6. First responders pulled
Matthew Wiszowaty from the ocean
and rushed him to St. John’s Episcopal
Hospital, where he died two days later.
The teenager was swimming off
Beach 101st Street on a section that was
not open for swimming, where warning
signs and red fl ags are visible to all
beachgoers. The area from Beach 93rd
to Beach 102nd is closed to the public due
to erosion and the closest lifeguard was
two blocks away.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to
the family and friends of Matthew
Wiszowaty,” an NYC Parks spokesperson
said. “This unfortunate incident is
a painful reminder that New Yorkers
should never enter the water in closed
sections of our shoreline, where lifeguards
are not present. Our lifeguards
have an incredible safety record of zero
drownings during operating hours in
the past seven years. We remain just as
committed to the health and safety of
New Yorkers this summer as we have
in the past.”
Earlier this month, Rockaway elected
offi cials and community leaders called
on the governor’s offi ce to sign into law
legislation from Assemblywoman Stacey
Pheff er Amato that would create a commission
to investigate best practices in
preventing childhood drowning.
“No matter where you live or what
your background is, you should feel
safe going into the water or know when
not to go into the water,” Pheff er Amato
said. “This bill is for the children who lost
their lives, their families and every other
person in New York state who we must
protect. This bill can lay the groundwork
for protecting a whole generation of
children from preventable fatality due
to lack of knowledge on water safety, and
it gives me hope for a safer future.”
There are 14 miles of public beach in
New York City, and the Parks Department
reminds beachgoers to never swim
in undesignated areas because they are
not safe.
“We are lucky enough to have some
amazing swim education here on the
Rockaway Peninsula, but it is beyond
time that we as a state take on the responsibility
of expanding access to these
vital programs into communities all
across New York,” state Senator Joseph
Addabbo said. “Proper swim education
can mean the diff erence between life
and death in the water, and this legislation
will allow people of all ages, but
especially children, the opportunity to
learn to swim and will save lives.”
Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson said
water safety programs save lives.
“Each year, we grieve heartbreaking
but often preventable drowning
tragedies that statistically surge in
the summer months,” Anderson said.
“Particularly in beachside communities
like Far Rockaway and throughout New
York state, we must invest in high-quality
water safety programs to prevent these
avoidable drownings. The creation of a
Water Safety Commission is also a matter
of racial justice as Black and brown
communities suff er disproportionately
from the lack of access to water safety
and swimming education.”
Drownings and water rescues are all too familiar in the Rockaways and
now, local leaders are calling on the governor’s offi ce to sign water
safety legislation into law. File photo by Lloyd Mitchell
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