PHOTOS: A New Jersey firefighter says his department is still recovering emotionally after attempting to dig two teenage victims out of a sand collapse at Toms River’s Ocean Beach on Tuesday.
Despite first responders’ efforts, Levi Caverly, 18, died in the collapse of a 10-foot hole he dug on the beach with his 17-year-old sister, whom rescuers saved after hours of digging.
"Our prayers are with the family," Brian Kubiel, chief administrator of Toms River Fire District 1, told Fox News Digital on Thursday. Fire department personnel, as well as the close-knit community of Toms River, are "emotional" about the tragic loss of Caverly, but they are grateful they were able to rescue his sister, Kubiel said. The pair, who were visiting the Jersey Shore from Maine with their parents, apparently dug the hole in wet weather, causing the walls to collapse around them while they were inside it.