St. Rose Of Belmar Holds Prayer Service For 13-Year-Old Drowning Victim

Friday should have been a happy day in Belmar. Full summer is coming soon. Today was the last day of school for many students.

Instead, a pall hangs over this beachfront community. Many are mourning the death of a 13-year-old girl who drowned in the ocean off 8th and 10th avenues on Thursday. They are also praying for her 12-year-old cousin, who was pulled from the rough surf and is now on life support at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

They came to pray at St. Rose of Lima R. C. Church here, which held a prayer vigil for the girls on Friday afternoon.

Pastor Rev. Msgr. Edward J. Arnister referred to the girls as Mitzi and Emily. Friends of the family identified the drowning victim as 13-year-old Mitzi Hernandez, a student with her 12-year-old cousin at Belmar Elementary School., according to nj.com.

"We are here together as a community in Belmar to support the families, support one another at this difficult time," Arnister said to a group of more than 200 adults and children. "For it is through our support, our caring, our love for one another that we remain strong."

Members of the girls' families did not attend the vigil. Mayor Matt Doherty and township officials attended.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office has not identified either of the girls, said spokesman Charles Webster.

No lifeguards were on duty at the time of the drowning. Most shore towns begin guarding their beaches seven days a week. Belmar guards were scheduled to work this weekend, then start full time on Monday. But Doherty said beaches were guarded on Friday, following the tragedy.

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Image: St. Rose of Lima