VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – On Tuesday, July 9th, police responded to a call reporting a drowning around 12:40 p.m. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a 35-year-old teacher went missing after rescuing a 13-year-old student who got caught in a rip current near Little Island City Park.
The teacher was able to save the student successfully but has not been seen since entering the ocean. The teen was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. The area does not have any lifeguards and does not prohibit swimming due to the extreme waters and frequent riptides.
According to News 3 WTKR the teacher was Reuven Bauman, who taught seventh and eighth grade boys, plus third grade Judaic Studies.
“Water is pulling in two different directions. The in-shore current’s going north, the outer current’s going south, so it’s kinda making it difficult for search patterns, as well as the water is in rough conditions. There are red flags in the Sandbridge area, and this happened on a beach where swimming is prohibited,” said Cat Watson with Virginia Beach EMS told News 3 WTKR.
The Coast Guard continued the search this morning but has suspended it this afternoon, Wednesday, July 10th.
