City Councilmember Joann Ariola and Rockaways residents are calling for the removal of old wooden jetties at Jacob Riis Park following the tragic drowning of 35-year-old surfer Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers. Witnesses believe his surfboard leash got tangled in the submerged jetties. Local advocates criticize the federal government's failure to act despite years of requests. Although funding for removing the structures has been approved by Community Board 14, no timeline has been set. Rogers was remembered as a promising filmmaker with a passion for the ocean.
One of the rescuers, local resident Robert Conti, told the Rockaway Times that he believed Rogers' surfboard leash may have gotten tangled in a jetty's wooden columns.
Ariola and other locals criticized the federal government for ignoring years of pleas to address the removal of the 70-year-old structures.
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