2 Bronx Sisters Drown At Coney Island Beach

New York City residents 18-year-old Aisha Mohammed and 17-year-old Zainab Mohammed drowned after going into the water

A family is mourning after a tragedy occurred over the weekend that took the lives of two teenage girls who went out to Coney Island for a swim.

According to The New York Post, Bronx residents 18-year-old Aisha Mohammed and 17-year-old Zainab Mohammed drowned after going into the water on July 5. The girls were reported missing at around 8:10 p.m. and discovered dead on the shoreline at 9:15 p.m. The person who called 911 told the operator that the teenagers “entered the water and disappeared from view,” a police spokesman said.

One of the girls’ relatives, Julia Mohammad, stated that it was only the second time the sisters had been to a beach. Tahir Mohammed, an uncle of the Mohammed sisters, also spoke to the media outlet.

“They were just trying to have fun out there. They thought they were just gonna have their last swim and come out.”

Julia also said that Aisha saw Zainab struggling in the water and went to help her. Another cousin also jumped in the water to help but could not save the sisters.

ABC 7 New York reported that people left the water when it started raining, but the sisters went back in, according to witnesses. Reportedly, a man tried to discourage them from going back into the water but was unsuccessful as he couldn’t swim. Most people headed toward the restrooms to get out of the bad weather.

“A guy, he saw the two little girls asking for help, so he tried to help, but he also went into the water but he can’t swim either,” a witness told the media outlet.

Sadly, although there were people on the beach, the Department of Parks indicated that there were lifeguards there. However, they are typically on duty between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., and swimming is prohibited outside those hours.

The deaths brought the number of drownings in the city to four this summer.

On July 4, an alleged drunk driver plowed into a Lower East Side park in New York City killing three people and injuring eight others.

According to ABC 7 New York, 44-year-old Daniel Christopher Hyden was driving a pickup truck when he drove into Corlears Hook Park at around 8:55 p.m. where people were enjoying themselves at a BBQ and striking almost a dozen people in the tragic mishap. Police officials have charged him with eight counts of assault recklessly causing a serious injury with a weapon, aggravated vehicular homicide killing more than one person, driving while intoxicated, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree.

Hyden is being held without bail and faces anywhere between up to 25 years in prison if the accident is treated as one criminal act. If he is convicted consecutively, that could place him in prison for up to 52 years.

Authorities said 43-year-old Ana Morel, 59-year-old Lucille Pinkney, and her 38-year-old Herman Pinkney were the victims who were killed when Hyden struck with his vehicle. The youngest injured victim was only 11. One person was listed in critical condition, while six were listed in stable condition.

Hyden was driving on a suspended license for failing to answer a summons four times on three separate dates.

An investigation led police to discover that Hyden was driving the truck at about 40 mph. He crashed through two sets of fences and struck the victims. Before the accident, they say he attempted to attend a boat party on Pier 36 but was apparently denied entry due to being too drunk. He got into an altercation with a bouncer before his money was refunded and left the location.

A witness to the tragedy stated, “Once he did that hard right turn so many people started screaming. He turned into the batting field, that’s where we normally barbecue. It’s a family that we all know. The Lower East Side bands together.”

Fox 5 NY reported that a little street justice was applied before police officers arrived at the scene.

Court documents revealed that when police officers arrived, Hyden was “on the ground next to the truck’s driver-side door.” Investigators cited that he was “bloodied and wearing pants, but no shirt or shoes, and when he stood up, his balance was uneven.”

Hyden’s friend Thomas Curto, who appeared in court for his friend’s arraignment said, “There was a little street justice that he got. He has a fat lip and a swollen eye. He was trying to get away.”

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Prosecutors also revealed that Hyden is a substance abuse counselor who wrote a book called “The Sober Addict.”