Teen on Holiday With Mom and Friend Drowns a Day Before Turning 18 | “Supposed to Be the Best Weekend”

The teen drowned in the ocean while swimming after she was swept away by the current.

Cover Image Source: Facebook | Tamarac Booster Club

By Suchitra B

December 9, 2022

Posted December 9, 2022

A teen from New York died just one day before her birthday during a vacation. Danielle Marceline was with her mother Chris and her friend Mary Doyle, on a fun holiday in Florida, to celebrate the teen's 18th birthday. But, the teen drowned in the ocean while swimming, according to a statement published by Lansingburgh Central School District,where she previously went to school.

According to a statement released by the Cocoa Beach Police Department on December 4, 2022, the 17-year-old was at the beach on December 3 when she was carried away by the current. The school district said in a statement on December 5 that her friend Mary Doyle "was rescued by the lifeguards."

Danielle "was carried further out by the strong current" and lifeguards were unable to save her, per the police.On the morning of December 4, her body was discovered on the beach.

The teenagers were in Florida with Danielle mother, Christine, to ring in Danielle's 18th birthday, which was supposed to be on December 4. "This was supposed to be an amazing mother-daughter weekend. It was something she always wanted," Christine told The Times Union. "It was supposed to be the best weekend of her life and it took her life away."

Danielle switched to Catholic High in Troy after her sophomore year and was a senior there. The Lansingburgh Central School District shared that the former athlete's teachers described her as "an absolute pleasure to have in class" and someone who made everyone around her smile.

The Albany Diocesan School Board's superintendent of schools, Giovanni Virgiglio, shared that the tragedy "impacts every member of the school community." Counselors are now available at schools in each of the districts that were affected by Danielle's passing.

Danielle was a dancer as well as an athlete in high school. According to WNYT, she studied dance for four years at the Art in Motion Dance Academy (AMDA) on Everett Road in Colonie. AMDA's Andrea DiDio told the media that Danielle was "a charismatic dancer" who was skilled at hip-hop. "You could tell while she was performing, she exuded her love and passion for dance," DiDio explained. "When she took the stage, the energy that came out of her when she performed was unlike any other."

The Marceline family has a GoFundMe set up to help with funeral and memorial expenses. "This is a tragic loss for her family and friends," wrote the Hunter family, creators of the fundraising pace. A memorial benefit dinner will be held on December 13, at Jimmy's Pizza in Lansingburgh, with a percentage of the revenues going to help Danielle's family with their expenses.