White Lake, NY – Rescue workers with boats and divers are on the scene for reports of a person drowning in the lake.
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Hatzolah Members and Medics, Sullivan County emergency rescue teams responded for reports of trauma of a male drowning in the lake at Maple Avenue and Lakeshore Drive.
Team of 9 divers on the scene for the now recovery mission of to the 30-year-old that dived off a boat to take a swim in the water. Body has not been recovered yet.
**UPDATE**
The body of 30-year-old Betzalel Levin was recovered by divers, BDA. Levin was a camp counselor in a program run by A Woman’s League that allows children from New York City with special needs to spend some time in the country.
Levin was in a Sun Tracker pontoon boat rented from Payne’s Water Sports with some children and other counselors from the camp. At around 4 p.m., he took off his footwear and some of his clothing and jumped off the boat into the deep waters of the narrows between White Lake and Kauneonga Lake, said eyewitness Beverlee VanDunk, who was on the water in a nearby boat.
VanDunk said she saw Levin struggle in the water shortly after he dove in and she called 911. People from Levin’s boat tried to throw him a life jacket, and it landed in the water no more than 10 feet away from him, VanDunk said.
Though Levin made an attempt to swim to the life jacket, he quickly disappeared under the water. Upon seeing this, VanDunk’s husband, James VanDunk, dove in after Levin, along with another man from Levin’s boat. But they were unable to locate him.
Soon emergency responders from numerous agencies arrived, including the White Lake and Kauneonga Lake fire departments, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police.
Levin was presumed dead, and they began a roughly three-hour search for his body.
Police say Levin was likely yanked under because of the weight of some of the clothes he was still wearing. They have determined that drugs, alcohol and foul play were not factors in the accident.
ברוך דיין אמת. בשורות טובות. מי היא זה?
BDE
BDE beseras toves .
Any 1 have more info family name
Burech Dyen Emes….How sad that the summer had to end with such a tragedy…wake up call for Tshuveh…..
BDE
The life-jacket didn’t help? Scary.
Although it was not a save but we still owe a Thanks to all the Hatzolah volunteers for there quick response & a extra special Thanks to B-205, W-67, W-109, & all other Hatzolah volunteers on this job!!!!!!!
Name is ari lavin from CH
And especially C306 who was the first on the scene and heroic coordinated the rescue effort until further Hatzalah members & divers arrived
There is no state with the abbreviation “CH”.
BDE they just found the body
BDE. Sad. Fell overboard? How?
Was he wearing a life jacket?
This occasion should be used to inquire as to the level of water safety among us.
Chazal bring a man deamar that a father is required to teach his son to swim. Though camps offer swim instruction, there are still some people who, for various reasons, do not know how to swim at all, or learn a little, but not enough.
We should have an open discussion as to what can be done to improve the level of water safety skills among the tzibbur.
I think its not smart to start putting numbers of hatzolah members on scenes. Besides the fact the hatzolah did not cordinate or do anything it was all run by the locals and state police. Thanks to the efforts by hatzolah coordinators all year, the locals were respectful to hatzolah and the concerned yidden. Unfortunatly the hatzolah did nothing on the scene there was nothing to be done.
BDH, Habucher Arya Betzalel Levin u”h from Crown Heights drowned to death while boating w/special needs children
bdh .terrible sad story, what camp was he from? How did it happen? Anyone know details?
Why do adults go overboard?
#12 by falling overboard
Aryeh Levin, a 25 year-old Lubavitch bochur from California, drowned and passed away Thursday, Elul 9, 5770, in Upstate New York’s Catskills.
Hatzalah members and Medics, Sullivan County emergency rescue teams responded to reports of a male drowning in the lake at Maple Avenue and Lakeshore Drive in White Lake.
A team of 9 divers hurried to the scene for the recovery mission of the body that fell overboard from a boat in to the water, VIN News reported.
COLlive.com has learned that Levin worked for Women’s League, a Jewish organization for boys with special needs and served during the summer as a counselor at their summer camp.
He drowned during a trip with his bunk, a friend of his told COLlive.
Levin is originally from Long Beach and in the last few years has been living in Crown Heights. He was a regular at the Aliya Institute shul.
Crown heights
BDE. How can an adult in the 21st century not know how to swim? White Lake is such a small lake, you are never that far from shore. what a tragedy
Poster # 10; I’m afraid the illiterate is the one who is tired! Unless you were being facetious (Spelled the Haymish way; faseeshes:). You failed to realize that the previous poster was speaking of the group ID of the Hatzolah members, which goes by the neighborhood they live and work in. In this specific case it is “CH” Crown Heights.
what is wrong with you people arguing about what ch stands for at a time like this.my husband’s mother was very close with aryeh’s mother and tragically this is her second son to pass away. angie may Hashem give you nechama with moshiach now.
esther
He was 30 years old not 25.
#29 , what a heart rending tragedy. Twice??? There are no words to offer a family suffering like this.
His mother Angie is a tzadekes who cooked and baked for the shul, school etc. She had much tragedy in her life may she only know from Simcha. I think Aryeh is her youngest child
What a golden heart! A counselor for special childern who always went the extra mile with such patience and devotion for the kids. Aryeh will be missed. So sad and tragic.
I see much self-congratulatory praise for hatzolah, but not one word from any of the posters about the righteous gentile Mr. James VanDunk who actually dove in the water and tried to save the poor bochur.
THANK YOU Mr. VanDunk.
To number 27, unfortunately where are Yidden going to learn to swim in Willy?
Reply to #37 . Try the East River.
First let me say that I was the first boat on the scene. Also I was the first one to dive into the water to try to save him. The boat that he was on was driving away from him, and I stopped him to ask why he was doing that. He replied he didn’t know. This was a boat driver that was stopped by me 3 times during the boat rental to get away from the shore line and stay away from other boats. He always heard me, he just never listened. When I went to him the fourth time he was driving away from his passenger that was in the water. The man in the water was not thrashing around, he did not panick, he was not yelling for help. There was no sign that he was in trouble, and there was a life jacket that he could have reached very easily. I was pulling a banana tube with 8 children on it, and had a father and 2 children on my boat. When I saw the man go down, I tried to get as close to him as possible while pulling the banana, and dove in. I tried 3 times to get him. Because of the milfoil that now grows in the lake, it makes everything green below the surface. My visibility was less then 1 foot. Jim Van Dunk did go into the water, but it was after I was in it. There was also one other boater who was also in the lake trying to help. Very sad. The truth of the matter is this. When you rent a boat, and someone explains how to operate it, what the rules of the water are, what to do and not do. Don’t just move your head up and down, like you heard it and understand it. This is for your safety. So many people listen to the briefing, and then just do what they want, not taking the safety of their Spouse, Children and other boaters into consideration. This was a perfect example of not listening and it turning into a tragedy. Please don’t think you know better, when someone explains something to you about boats. The sad truth of the matter is this. You Do Not! My feeling go out to the Family and all the poor children on my boat that had to bear witness to this sensless act of stupidity.