Lawrence, NY - Five Towns Tragic Petira Of 10-Year-Old Aaron Tepfer Z”L

Lawrence, NY - A ten year old boy whose leg came in contact with a boat’s propeller while swimming in the waters of Reynolds Channel in Lawrence lost his fight for life over Shabbos.

Aaron Tepfer, the son of Tully and Rochel Tepfer, was swimming in the waters off Cedarhurst Yacht Club, three miles from his Cedarhurst home, when the incident occurred at approximately 2:20 PM on Friday afternoon.

According to reports on Newsday, Tepfer had gone tubing with four friends.  The tubes were being towed by the boat, a 27 foot Sea Ray Sundeck, when Tepfer fell into the water.  

The boy swam toward the boat, which was stopped in the water, but his leg came into contact with the propeller as he attempted to re-board the boat. 

After being informed of the accident by his own son, the boat’s operator kept Tepfer’s head above water, by grabbing onto his life jacket, keeping the boy from being dragged under water until help arrived.

ABC News is reporting that five different agencies were involved in the rescue attempt, including paramedics on boats and jet skis, who worked together to extricate Tepfer’s leg from the propeller. 

Tepfer, who suffered serious blood loss, was stabilized at the scene and was transported to the foot of the Atlantic Beach Bridge, before being rushed to Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park.  

Despite earlier optimistic reports in the local media, Tepfer, who was about to enter sixth grade, passed away on Shabbos.

The levaya will take place at 10 AM this morning at Yeshiva Darchei Torah where Aaron was a student and his mother is a 5th grade teacher.

Boruch Dayan Emmes…