2 Cliff Jumping Teens Go Missing on Lake Ontario
NEW YORK STATE POLICE UPDATE: On Monday, June 26, 2017, at approximately 12:30pm, the New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team recovered two bodies from Lake Ontario. The individuals have been identified as 18 year-old, Lorenz Greenwood Coinco and 14 year-old, Andrew Stevenson both from Watertown, NY. An autopsy is scheduled to determine the official cause of death. The investigation is continuing.
Two teens have gone missing on Lake Ontario after a day of cliff jumping in Henderson.
The coast guard and state police were called on Sunday, June 25, around 3:30 pm to Robert G. Wehle State Park in Henderson.
The boys aged 18 and 14 were last seen cliff jumping just off shore and didn't resurface. The waves on Lake Ontario were averaging 4-5 feet high and were extremely turbulent at the time, according to a press release from the state police.
A search was conducted by State Police aviation along with members from the US Coast Guard, NYS Park Police, NYS Environmental Conservation and Forest Rangers, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jefferson County Fire & Emergency Management, but the boys have not been found.
Search boats continued to search throughout the night. A full scale search resumes today.
Cliff jumping may seem fun but is extremely dangerous. You never know what may be lurking under the water and the conditions/currents are ever changing. Plus any jump from a height is traumatic to the body. The higher the jump, the higher the risk. At 10 feet your body is travelling about 17mph when you hit the water. At 20 feet, you’re going about 25mph, according to Adventure Smart. At those speeds you could cause spinal compression, bone fractures, concussion, or suffer a collapsed lung. That's with a feet first landing. Catastrophic results are possible if you hit the water at an awkward angle.