The body of a 14-year-old from Philadelphia who went missing in the ocean off Wildwood, N.J., during a school field trip has been recovered, police announced Wednesday night.
The 14-year-old went missing on June 1 after a police officer was flagged down regarding swimmers in distress.
Multiple rescue swimmers from the Wildwood City Fire Department, North Wildwood Fire Department, Wildwood Beach Patrol and North Wildwood Beach Patrol entered the water and began searching for the missing swimmer but after a roughly two-hour search, beachside rescue operations ceased.
In a press release from the City of Wildwood Police Department on Wednesday night, police said the department was notified that recovery efforts of a deceased individual were being conducted just off the beach of the United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May.
“During the course of this investigation, it became apparent that this individual may be the 14-year-old juvenile male victim who had gone missing in the ocean in Wildwood on June 1, 2026. With the assistance of the United States Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police and the Cape May Police Department the remains were recovered and turned over to the medical examiner’s office,” police said in the press release.
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Upon further forensic analysis, officials confirmed the identification of the body as the missing juvenile, police said.
Police said that the next-of-kin notification was completed once the identification was made.
“Our sincere condolences are with the juvenile victim’s friends and family during this very difficult time. We also want to thank all the first responders who assisted with not only the initial rescue operations, but that of the recovery efforts,” police added.
The missing student’s grandmother, Kenya Pippen, previously spoke to ABC News about her grandson, saying that he attended a school in Northeast Philadelphia for students with special needs.
According to Pippen, her grandson was accompanied by a school chaperone and a family member on the trip.
She alleged that when the family member stepped away to get food, her grandson went into the water with other students near Morey’s Pier, while staff watched from the shore.
“There were no lifeguards present at all, and they still allowed these children with special needs to get into the water with no adults,” Pippen alleged.
She called her grandson’s disappearance a “disgrace,” adding, “My grandson has been missing. It’s cold here. He’s been gone for hours. He doesn’t deserve this. He’s just a kid. He was supposed to graduate on Wednesday.”
The missing student’s mother, Shyara Hill, also spoke out about her son’s disappearance earlier this week.
While speaking to NBC10, Hill described her son as a boy who loved hockey, played basketball and hoped to become a marine biologist.
She questioned the circumstances that led to her son entering the water.
“The weather when I got out there, it was cold. Why was the decision to go in the water? Where was the people that was supposed to be there supervising? No protection. No life-jackets,” Hill said.
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