A teenager who was digging on a New Jersey beach died on Tuesday after being buried under collapsed sand with his sister as their mother speaks out about the tragic incident.
Authorities were able to rescue the victim's younger sister after police said that both out-of-towners became trapped under the sand. In a statement, the Toms River Police Department said that officers and EMS units were dispatched at 4:09 p.m. to the beach entrance near Seaview Road on the barrier island.
Teen Dies After Being Buried Under Collapsed Sand
Police officers were reporting to calls of two teens being trapped under collapsed sand, one of which was identified as 18-year-old Levy Caverley and the other was his 17-year-old sister whose name was not made public. Officials were able to rescue the younger sibling and treated her at the scene of the incident.
The department's Facebook post explained what happened to the two teenagers and noted that the family was "visiting from out of town and spent the afternoon at the beach." The teens were reportedly digging a large hole when the sand collapsed on top of them and trapped them both, as per Fox News.
The incident reportedly happened in Ocean Beach III, which is a private beach community near Chadwick Beach. Toms River Mayor Maurice "Mo" Hill Jr. described the hole as being deep and was dug out using Frisbees. Rescuers were able to quickly pull the 17-year-old out of the sand but were not able to retrieve Caverley's body until roughly 6:45 p.m.
The mother of the two teenagers has spoken out about the tragic incident on Wednesday and said that she was trying to accept the heartbreaking loss of her son. "It is what it is. You can't change it," said Angela Caverly of Union, Maine.
According to the New York Post, the distraught mother said that she and her loved ones were on a family trip when her two children dug a 10-foot-deep hole. Angela said that her 17-year-old daughter, who was buried up to her neck, was well enough to drive her family home to Maine.
Remember the Victim
Angela said that her son was home-schooled, had three siblings, and had recently been teaching himself computer programming. She noted that Levi was trying to learn computer coding and loved music and was playing drums in a praise band at their church.
The mother, who is a devout church-goer and has worked at a Baptist church in Maine, said that she was finding comfort in her faith and in the rescuers who rushed to help her son. In an interview on Wednesday, she said that there were lots of people trying to help her and her family and she expressed her gratitude to them.
The father of the victim, Todd Caverly, described his son as being odd and quirky and was not really concerned with what others thought of him. He said that Levi knew Jesus Christ was involved in the worship team at their church. In a Facebook post, Todd wrote: "Levi Caverly, there are no words to express my love for you," the Boston Globe reported.
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