Mom of 15-year-old Coney Island drown victim blames lifeguard shortage

The still-mourning mother of a teenager swept to his death in the Coney Island surf during a family beach getaway recounted her desperate wait for help that came too late to spare her oldest son.

“There were no lifeguards, no lifeguards there,” teary mom Cheetara Artis told the Daily News on Thursday. “And all of this is happening and another wave comes … It took (lifeguards) at least four to five minutes to come.”

By then, her 15-year-old son Markel Artis “was already under the water and I couldn’t see him anymore,” she said. “I was in a panic. I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe this was really happening.”

The teen was swimming with his kid brother Aaron, 14, when he disappeared into the waves on July 27, with his lifeless body washing up on the shore two days later. The area of the beach where he went under, near W. 22nd St. and Surf Ave., was closed to swimming on the day of the tragedy, officials said.

The younger sibling tried to rescue Markel amidst the chaotic scene on the beach as sweltering temperatures climbed into the 90s.

“One (bystander) jumped in,” Artis said, her voice cracking. “I was screaming for Aaron to come back and telling Markel to breathe at the same time … It’s very unfortunate that my son had to die because of a lack of lifeguards.”

In May, Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue told the New York City Council the city has just roughly a third of the lifeguards it needs to full staff pools and beaches. As a result, some sections of beaches have been closed to swimming.

But beachgoers often ignore or don’t even notice signage telling them not to swim when lifeguards are not on duty. Park Department workers also put up red flags next to empty lifeguard chairs warning people not to swim.

The worst day of Artis’ life began with good intentions as the family headed to the Brooklyn beach after a a scheduled state inspection closed the Bronx shelter where they lived for half a day. They arrived at Coney Island around 8 a.m. and went to the beach about four hours later, she recalled.

Artis said people were swimming and she did not realize that section of beach was closed.

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“Markel had so many aspirations and so many goals and so many things that he wanted to do and show me and his brother,” recounted Artis. “He was only 15 years old. It’s just really a lot. It’s a lot for me and Aaron.”

Brooklyn City Councilman Ari Kagan said shortly after the tragedy that the teen’s heartbreaking death was likely avoidable if there were more lifeguards on the beach.

“It’s a horrible tragedy and in my opinion a preventable tragedy,” he said.

A 19-year-old man drowned the very next day at Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways when he was pulled under by waves. Amadou Thiam went swimming after lifeguards were done for the day as a heatwave gripped the city.

Markel’s devastated mother said her son was an aspiring detective and a leader, a funny and outgoing youth who was in the 10th grade. The family, she said, had been in and out of the shelter system for about seven years.

“It’s just so unfortunate because we had really been having a hard time and we just wanted to go out and have a good day,” Artis said. “We were there for each other. We would comfort each other. We would love on each other. And now … this.”

A Thursday email to the Parks Department for a response was not returned.