Body of teen gone missing while fishing on Long Island found by police

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Friday, December 4, 2020
Body of teen gone missing while fishing on LI found by police
Joseph Rera's body was recovered by the Suffolk County police.

CENTER MORICHES, Long Island (WABC) -- Police on Long Island found the body of a teenager who went missing while fishing.

Suffolk County police investigators say they pulled 16-year-old Joseph Rera's body from the water in Cupsogue County Park earlier this week.

The high school junior was fishing with friends on November 6 when he went missing.

"Just fishing was his outlet from anything he was feeling, whether it was sadness, happiness, he would go fish," Jacob Ducoing, a friend had said last month. "And that's what I guess kept his mind off everything."

Authorities say Rera was fishing on a sandbar and then may have been overcome by a wave, or slipped off the rocks and was injured.

All his friends know is they went back to look for him to get something to eat, and he was gone.

Rera was a junior at Center Moriches High School.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family.

ALSO READ | Determined New Yorkers come together to save sick swan's life

Lucy Yang has a heartwarming story of New Yorkers coming together to save the life of a swan.

----------

* More Long Island news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a News Tip