Discovery of Body at Queens Beach Disrupts Press Conference

A body discovered on a Queens beach yesterday put an announcement about increased funding for lifeguards on hold.

A crowd had assembled for a press conference on Jacob Riis Beach, a federally funded beach in the Rockaways, when police reported that a body had washed up on shore, a spokesman for Rep. Anthony Weiner's office, John Collins, said.

The body of a male, who has not been identified, could be that of a 23-year-old who was swept away in the surf Friday night. The Coast Guard called off the search for the man, who was swimming with a friend, on Saturday. Authorities said the medical examiner will determine the body's identity and cause of death today.

Dangerous riptides off New York beaches claimed the lives of four people and left three missing Friday and Saturday, with incidents at Long Island's Long and Sandy Bar beaches, Coney Island, and East Quogue in Suffolk County. Lifeguards were off-duty when three men drowned in separate incidents on Long Island on Friday and Saturday.

Representatives for Riis Beach did not return phone calls yesterday.

Mr. Weiner, who represents Brooklyn and Queens, had planned to announce an increase in funding to hire more lifeguards at beaches under federal supervision; Riis Beach is the only federal beach in New York City.

The director of public affairs for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Jama Adams, said lifeguard hiring at city beaches was at an all-time high, with 1,140 lifeguards working citywide compared to nearly 1,100 last year.

The press conference was rescheduled for this afternoon.