Staten Island
An underwater accident that left a Navy SEAL trainee dead has claimed another life - a city lifeguard who had been in a coma since the tragic mishap last week, according to the New York Daily News.
Jonathan Proce, 21, died Sunday, said Paul Tallaksen, associate pastor of the Salem Free Evangelical Church in Staten Island.
Proce, of Sunnyside, and Bohdan Vitenko were found unconscious in 3 feet of water in a Staten Island public pool on Wednesday.
The pair were doing breath-holding exercises similar to those used in military training, authorities said.
They were found at the bottom of a corner of the crowded pool which was staffed with lifeguards, officials said.
Vitenko, 21, of Manhattan, was training to become a Navy SEAL and died shortly after being pulled from the pool.
Navy SEAL trainee Bodhan Vitenko from Manhattan was the first to drown in the accident.
Proce, who worked as a lifeguard at another Staten Island pool, had taken a recent leave of absence from John Jay College of Criminal Justice to undergo training for a pararescue unit, Tallaksen said.
"Jonathan was a passionate guy in everything he did," he said.
"He came to find a strong faith in Christ in the last couple of years. He loved his country, he loved his family and he loved the Lord.
"He had a great influence on other people. He was a true, natural leader. People followed him," Tallaksen said. "It is a sad loss."
Benjamin Proce, 26, said the most important thing in his younger brother's life was his faith.
"His faith was strong. He told everybody he met about Jesus," he said. "We believe without a doubt he's in heaven with Jesus."
"That's what's keeping his family going," he said.
Tallaksen said funeral arrangements had yet to be made.
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