Marysville teen among 14 who drowned or died in boating accidents over Labor Day weekend

Marysville High School student Jesse Shock died after drowning in a pond on Saturday, according to the Marysville Exempted Village School District.

The teen is among at least 14 people who died in boating or swimming incidents around the United States over the Labor Day holiday weekend, authorities say.

"We were all heartbroken to hear the tragic news, and want to respect the family's privacy," Sue Devine, president of the Marysville Board of Education, told the USA TODAY network on Tuesday.

In a statement released Tuesday to district families, school officials identified Shock as a freshman who was attending a cookout for family and friends during the Ohio State vs. Indiana football game.

“We have been in contact with Jesse’s family and we are working through the best plan to support his family during this incredibly difficult time,” the school district said. “They would like everyone to know that they greatly appreciate the support and thoughtfulness. At this time, they would like time to be able to process, grieve and cope with their loss.”

The school district was making grief counselors available, including at Marysville High School and Marysville Early College High School.

No information about funeral arrangements for Shock were immediately available.

Here is information about other drownings or fatal boat crashes that occurred across the U.S. over the holiday weekend:

Long Island, New York boat crash

In New York, the 1989 OC/MA boat, driven by 53-year-old Louis Deritis, collided with a 1989 44-foot Henriques Sport Fisherman.

Police reported the crash, which took place south of Long Island just north of Fire Island, caused the boat to capsize, ejecting Deritis into the water. His body was later located by Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers and the United States Coast Guard.

His wife was found in the vessel’s cabin by fire department rescue divers, police reported. The 50-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.

Beach goers wave to friends as they arrive at the beach in Harvey Cedars. Nearly a hald dozen people drowned or died in boating accidents over the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend.
Beach goers wave to friends as they arrive at the beach in Harvey Cedars. Nearly a hald dozen people drowned or died in boating accidents over the 2023 Labor Day holiday weekend.

1 dead, 1 missing, several rescues on Jersey Shore

In New Jersey, police in Seaside Park and Belmore rescued "more than a dozen bathers from rough waters due to dangerous currents" over the weekend, according to the Asbury Park Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

22-year old man died in Beach Haven on Sunday after being pulled into a rip current along with two other people, who were rescued, CNN reported. Beach Haven police could not immediately be reached for comment.

As of Monday afternoon, crews were reportedly still searching for a man who'd gone missing in the waters off Seaside Park, a borough in Ocean County.

Stephen Houser, 35, was at Long Beach Island on Sunday when he saw a group of people get swept out into the water and "jumped into action" to help rescue a distressed swimmer.

Missing swimmer found dead in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Just south in Delaware, the body of a missing Maryland man who disappeared over the weekend washed ashore Monday, per Delaware Online, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Richard Boateng, 31, of Savage, went missing just after 5:45 p.m. Sunday in the surf off the beach near Rehoboth Avenue, the Rehoboth Beach Police Department reported.

Crews with the U.S. Coast Guard, Delaware State Police and Division of Fish and Wildlife found Boateng's body on North Shores beach, a small community just north of Rehoboth.

Two deaths in Georgia

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a 16-year-old male drowned at a beach at Pointes West Army Resort in Appling, just west of Augusta, Georgia.

His body was recovered by divers on Monday afternoon, per the Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. The sheriff’s office identified the victim as Sevonn Small.

At Lake Lanier, a 23-year-old man died after he slipped while running on a dock near Holiday Marina around 10:30 p.m. local time, local media reported, citing the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The victim was identified as Gavrie Whitlock.

Man found dead in Sebago Lake in Maine

In Maine, divers from the Maine Warden Service on Monday found the body of a 28-year-old Portland man last seen Sunday night in Sebago Lake State Park.

Mark Latti, a spokesman for the Maine Warden Service, told USA TODAY divers found Ahmed Doale unresponsive 10 feet away from shore in water about 8 feet deep.

Doale had been missing since around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Latti said Doale and another person were in a motorboat when it broke down and drifted toward the shore. Doale, who did not know how to swim, was trying to push the boat away from shore near the Songa River before he disappeared, officials said.

Two deaths reported in North Carolina

In North Carolina, the National Park Service reported a 28-year-old Washington, D.C. woman died Monday in "a water-related incident" in the village of Avon at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Park officials said about 2:30 p.m., crews responded to a report of a person unresponsive in the ocean in that area.

A witness told authorities the woman "was overtaken by strong waves and disappeared in the surf."

Shortly after disappearing, the victim was observed "face-down in rough ocean conditions" and later pulled from the water and pronounced dead.

Just one day earlier, local outlet WRAL reported a 13-year-old boy drowned in Jordan Lake, a reservoir in New Hope Valley, south of Durham.

On Sunday afternoon, the outlet reported, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office recovered the body of Kevin Lopez, who lived in Stanly County, about 100 miles west of the lake.

Wisconsin teens die in Lipsett Lake

In Wisconsin, two 18-year-olds died Friday in Lipsett Lake in Rusk in the northeastern part of the state, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources confirmed to USA TODAY.

CBS Minnesota identified the victims as Kyree Shaw and Grace Rhine.

Shaw's sister, Marissa Olinger told CBS her brother was home from school at the University of Wisconsin–Stout for the Labor Day weekend and was at a friend's cabin. Details regarding Rhine's drowning were not immediate available.

11-year-old dead at Minnesota lake

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office confirmed an 11-year-old girl died while in Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis on Saturday.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office identified the girl to USA TODAY as Jocelyn Sanchez-Rosas.

The girl disappeared about 7:30 p.m. while swimming about 30 feet from the shore on the lake's eastern side, Sheriff's Office Major Pat Enderlein rescue crews located the girl close to 10 p.m.

The coroner ruled she died as a result of "an accidental freshwater drowning."

Man drowns in Arizona lake

A man drowned after jumping into Bartlett Lake from a dock on Saturday morning, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities found the man's body around 12:10 p.m. local time Saturday, nearly four hours after deputies responded to the scene, according to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network. The man who drowned has not been identified and the cause of death is pending a medical examiner's report, according to the sheriff's office.

At least 75 dead due to Surf Zone fatalities in 2023

As of Aug. 31, at least 75 Surf Zone fatalities had been reported across the U.S. and its territories Puerto Rico and Guam, according to a database kept by the National Weather Service.

Of the deaths, NWS reported, 10 people died as a result of waves and dangerous currents.

Prior to the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard issued warnings advising beachgoers and boaters about high surf and strong rip currents along the Mid-Atlantic as a result of Tropical Storm Idalia.

Contributing: Jenna Calderón, Asbury Park Press; Aidan Wohl, Arizona Republic

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Marysville student among 14 in US who drowned over Labor Day weekend