Around 3:30, a 22-year-old man called 911 and reported that his father had swum into the ocean and not come back. He said that this occurred east of Field 6, in an area unprotected by lifeguards. The son told the police that he had been preoccupied with text messages on his phone and had not paid much attention to his father’s activities.

The father is Raymond Roth, 47, who lives in Massapequa, on Long Island, and who has described himself as a telecommunications manager. His son, Jonathan, said that the two of them had gone alone to the beach. Raymond Roth’s wife, Evana, showed up a half-hour later, and the police said she indicated she was fretful that her husband had drowned.

The matter became the province of the New York State Park Police, which oversees Jones Beach. An extensive search involving a helicopter, boats and the beach patrol was put in motion, involving not only the Park Police but also the Coast Guard, the Nassau County police and nearby firefighters, among others. According to the police, the family said that Mr. Roth was a devoted swimmer who went to the beach virtually every day.

Read More: NYT