Young Basketball and Soccer Player, Davoris Carter III, 14, Vanishes in Wildwood Ocean During Class Trip
Davoris Carter III, a special needs student from Philadelphia, has been missing since Monday after being swept out to sea during a school trip to Wildwood, New Jersey.
The 14-year-old was part of a group from Delta School in Northeast Philadelphia when the incident unfolded around 1:30 p.m. on June 1, 2026, near Schellenger Avenue and Morey’s Pier.
A Wildwood police officer was flagged down by witnesses who spotted multiple swimmers in distress in the rough surf. No lifeguards were on duty at the time, which is standard for weekdays this early in the season.
Officers from Wildwood and North Wildwood, along with Wildwood firefighters and members of the Wildwood Beach Patrol ALERT Team, rushed to the scene. One officer entered the water and managed to pull three swimmers to safety.
Two were treated at the beach while a third was transported to Cooper University Cape Regional Hospital in stable condition. Despite the quick response, Davoris could not be located.
A Father’s Grief and Unanswered Questions
The boy’s father, also named Davoris Carter, spoke to NBC10 and struggled to make sense of how his son ended up in the ocean at all. He described the moment as a nightmare he cannot wake up from.
“This is like a dream. No, better yet, it’s like a nightmare,” he said. “My son went somewhere with a school. With chaperones. And these so-called chaperones, at this time, with special needs children, should’ve been paying attention. My son should not have been in that water, or them kids, without supervision.”
He also pointed to the visible conditions that day, questioning why anyone allowed the students near the water, given the strength of the waves and the absence of lifeguards on the beach.
According to the 6abc report, a family member had accompanied Davoris on the trip alongside school staff. When that family member stepped away briefly to get food, Davoris and some other students entered the water while staff watched from the shore.
The school’s director of education told NBC10 the trip was appropriately supervised, with six staff members accompanying six children.
Delta School CEO Dr. David Weathington issued a statement Tuesday calling the situation a devastating tragedy.
“The Delta School is heartbroken. Our thoughts are with the family during this time of uncertainty,” he said, adding that the school is providing counseling and support to students.
Massive Search Operation Spans Land, Sea, and Air
The search operation that followed was significant in scale. The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, New Jersey State Police, and the Marine Services Bureau all joined local crews in looking for the missing teen.
Derek Kobierowski of the Wildwood Fire Department described the scope of the effort, noting two Coast Guard helicopters, a state police helicopter, two Coast Guard boats, and a state police vessel equipped with sonar were all deployed in the search.
“We are scanning from the air, we are scanning with boats, and we’re also with personnel. We are doing a grid search,” Kobierowski said.
He noted the conditions on Monday made the operation particularly difficult, with strong winds and currents expanding the search area far beyond what crews would normally cover.
Beachside rescue operations were suspended after roughly two hours on Monday, but marine and aviation units continued through the night and into Tuesday. As of 3 p.m. on June 2, Wildwood police confirmed Davoris had still not been found. Authorities announced that search and recovery efforts would continue into Wednesday, June 3.
Davoris Carter’s grandmother, Kenya Pippen, remembered him as a kind, fun, and competitive young man who loved basketball, soccer, skating, and swimming. He was weeks away from graduating from middle school.
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