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Rip currents suspected as two drown at Assateague over weekend

A 57-year-old man from Chantilly, Virginia, was swimming near the park's campground when he was caught in a rip tide at about 2 p.m., according to Lt. Catherine Medellin of Maryland Natural Resources Police.

ASSATEAGUE, Md. (Delmarva Now) — Two men died Sunday in what officials suspect were rip current-related drownings at Assateague State Park.

A 57-year-old man from Chantilly, Virginia, was swimming near the park's campground when he was caught in a rip tide at about 2 p.m., according to Lt. Catherine Medellin of Maryland Natural Resources Police.

A surfer saw the man, later identified as Steven Der, struggling, and tried to rescue him. The man was transported to Atlantic General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Lt. Medellin said.

At about 6 p.m. the same day, Brian Purnell, an 18-year-old man from Pittsburgh, was swimming with a friend near the park's campground when he was caught in a rip current, Lt. Medellin said.

His friend lost sight of him and alerted Maryland Park Service. Lifeguards located and brought Purnell to shore. He was transported to Atlantic General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to Lt. Medellin.

Lt. Medellin called it "two very unfortunate situations and two related, cut-and-dry incidents," adding that Maryland Natural Resources Police is handling the investigation.

"I just think it was a really bad rip tide," she said. "There happened to be a lot of activity in the water."

This is the second and third drowning at Assateague this year since the Fourth of July, when the body of a Hartford, Connecticut, man was reported floating face down in the water off of North Ocean Beach at Assateague Island National Seashore.

The man, later identified as Dongjin Hong, was pronounced dead as a result of drowning.

Before the July 4 death, the last drowning at the park was on Aug. 30, 2016.

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