Devastated family of veteran who drowned off NYC beach searches for answers: ‘Could have been prevented’

The family of the latest Big Apple drowning victim was left shocked by what they said was a senseless, accidental death that should have been avoided.

Army veteran Moises Rodriguez, 30, spent Sunday night on Rockaway Beach talking to pals on the phone before he ventured over to a rocky area, where a wave “came and pushed him off,” throwing him into the water, his cousin Catherine Nunez told The Post.

Rodriguez’s lifeless body was later found floating in the water by bystanders around 12:30 a.m., according to cops.

His family said he should have never been able to get to the area where he drowned during the beach’s off hours.

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“We feel like if it was closed off and people couldn’t get to it, it could have helped him or anyone else that might happen to because it’s something people can access directly from the beach and it’s dangerous,” Nunez added.

But “at the end of the day, we understand if people break the rules, they choose to break the rules.”

“Having more people there would have been helpful, it could have been prevented,” Nunez said.

Nunez remembered Rodriguez as a doting dad to a 4-year-old daughter who lives out of state with her mother.

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“He loved his family, he loved his daughter. He was always willing to help and he will be missed eternally,” she said.

Rodriguez is the sixth person to drown on a city beach this summer — surpassing last year’s four total drownings.

Despite growing calls from elected officials to expand lifeguard hours, increase staffing and other safety initiatives, the Adams’ administration has yet to follow suit.

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Lifeguards at city beaches are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“We’re only, technically, at the beginning of the summer…and unfortunately, we will be here again [if action isn’t taken],” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards told The Post earlier this week.

“There’s a lot more work that the city needs to do.”

A spokesperson from City Hall said officials are “heartbroken over this tragic incident.”

“As the mayor has made clear, we will continue to educate all New Yorkers about the importance of only swimming at beaches and at pools when lifeguards are on duty,” the spokesperson said.

“While we have been able to hire more lifeguards than last year and have seen major success in using drones to monitor safety conditions on our beaches this season, we remind all New Yorkers to avoid swimming during off-hours to protect their safety and wellbeing.”

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