Digging his own grave: 18-year-old dies buried in sand on beach

An 18-year-old visiting the Jersey Shore with his family died on Tuesday afternoon after a large sandpit he had dug with his 17-year-old sister collapsed on top of him.

The victim was identified as Maine resident Levi Caverley. His sister was immediately treated after being rescued from the hole, according to ABC News.

Police and emergency medical services responded to a call around 4:10 p.m. on a stretch of Toms River ocean beach, north of Lavalette and south of Normandy Beach, New Jersey.

Officers received "reports of minors trapped in the sand as it collapsed around them when they were digging," the Toms River Police Department confirmed on Facebook.

"The family was visiting from out of town and spent the afternoon at the beach," police said in another Facebook post. "Emergency crews from neighboring cities also arrived at the scene to assist in rescue efforts."

"The 17-year-old female victim was rescued and treated at the scene, but her brother, Levi Caverly, tragically died in the collapse," he added.

Toms River Mayor Mo Hill said the two teens had dug a 10-foot hole when the sand collapsed on top of both of them, NBC10 Philadelphia reported.

Hill asked that people "be careful" when digging holes on the beach.

Aerial images show a bulldozer next to the large hole, where rescuers used planks to separate the sand.

This accident occurred two years after an 8-year-old boy was rescued in July 2020 from a sand landslide in Belmar, another beach on the Jersey Shore, according to Telemundo.