OCEAN CITY – A missing New Jersey swimmer’s body was found on the beach Sunday morning after an extensive search.
It was confirmed Sunday after 21-year-old Praise Ezechibueze’s body was found early in the morning on the beach near 4th Street by a walker. The citizen reported to officers around 5:30 a.m. a body on the beach about a mile south of where he was swimming the day before.
Members of the Major Crimes Unit and Forensic Services responded to the scene. Detectives were able to identify the individual as Ezechibueze, who was then transported to the Holloway Funeral Home.
On Saturday, May 6, at approximately 3:29 p.m., the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) and Ocean City Police Department responded to a missing swimmer call in the area of 25th Street and the beach. Rescue swimmers from the OCFD immediately deployed into the ocean and began searching the area for the submerged swimmer, a male in his twenties. The Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP) also joined the search effort, along with members of the United States Coast Guard and Maryland Natural Resources Police.
The OCBP will return to guarding the 10 miles of beach the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Until then, the city would like to remind everyone of the beach patrol’s motto: “Keep Your Feet in the Sand until the Lifeguard’s in the Stand”. Ocean City is prone to strong rip currents, which can occur at any surf beach with breaking waves.