UD community mourns junior who died of drowning, second student to die in just over a week

Hannah Edelman, Delaware News Journal
·2 min read

Eight days after the death of a University of Delaware freshman in a car crash, UD junior Praise Ezechibueze died in an apparent drowning in Ocean City, Maryland.

The 21-year-old, originally from Edison, New Jersey, disappeared while swimming Saturday afternoon, according to the Ocean City Police Department. First responders, including members of the United States Coast Guard and Maryland Natural Resources Police, were called in to search for him.

No lifeguards were on duty when Ezechibueze disappeared, as the Ocean City Beach Patrol does not return to work until Memorial Day weekend.

BACKGROUND: Body of Ocean City drowning victim located by police on beach in area of 4th Street

His body was found by someone walking on the beach the following morning, and he was taken to Holloway Funeral Home. No obituary has been posted as of Tuesday morning, but a UD spokesperson said that an obituary for UDaily was in the works.

Ezechibueze was studying medical diagnostics in UD's College of Health Sciences, according to a universitywide email sent Monday evening.

"As students are already experiencing stress at the end of the spring semester, we know this news hits hard following the recent loss of another UD student just over a week ago," UD President Dennis Assanis wrote.

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UD parents took to Facebook to offer their condolences, with some reporting that Ezechibueze was in Ocean City for a fraternity beach weekend. It is immediately unclear what fraternity he was a member of.

The Collins Room of Perkins Student Center at UD will be reserved for students to gather and receive support from one another as well as from counseling staff from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: UD campus reeling after student drowns in Ocean City, Maryland