Virginia Teen Drowns at Assateague Island Despite Lifeguard Staffing Calls

An 18-year-old, Cresencio Lucas Chavez Velasquez of Parksley, Virginia, drowned while swimming near the southern end of the Chincoteague Beach parking lot at Assateague Island National Seashore. The incident occurred about 150 yards south of the lifeguarded zone, and despite quick response from on-duty lifeguards and emergency personnel, Velasquez was pulled from the water unresponsive and later pronounced dead at a hospital. A relative alerted lifeguards after noticing two swimmers struggling offshore, and while one swimmer was rescued, Velasquez did not survive. The National Park Service and local officials emphasized the dangers of swimming beyond lifeguarded areas, particularly in waters with strong currents and waves. Maryland senators had recently urged the National Park Service to fully staff lifeguard positions, highlighting the safety risks posed by understaffing. Velasquez’s family has remembered him as a kind and caring young man who had taken on family responsibilities and whose loss has deeply affected those close to him.