Borough President Eric Adams is promoting water safety in Brooklyn after a 10-year-old girl drowned on Coney Island Tuesday.
Officials say Takara McDuffy fell off the rocks at the beach and into the water. She was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead.
The incident brought Adams and Brooklyn City Council Member Mark Treyger to the Coney Island Boardwalk, where they handed out fliers on water safety. Adams says he wants legislation introduced to make water safety a mandatory part of the curriculum at city schools.
Lifeguards are only on duty at the beach from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Treyger says he wants the Parks Department to step up enforcement, since McDuffy drowned at around 7 p.m. when lifeguards were not on duty. However, the Parks Department says it has 15 officers patrolling Coney Island and Brighton Beach after they close.