The beach was deserted. Besides the occasional dog-walker enjoying the cool autumn New York sunshine and a beachcomber or two roaming the sands, there were few others at Fort Tilden Beach, the picturesque site of a former US army base in Queens.
The late summer crowds have long departed and there was little sign of the cyclists, joggers and birdwatchers that have made this tiny beach, just an hour’s drive from the hustle of Manhattan, so popular.
Dubliner Ross McDonnell, an award-winning Irish photographer and film-maker, counted this little haven of tranquillity as one of his go-to spots, as he plied his trade and lived his life in New York City.
This was a place – situated on a peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens, south of Coney Island and west of Long Beach – where he liked to go cycling, running or swimming in all seasons.
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Now, this is where his devastated family, friends and colleagues have been gathering to look for any trace of him, or even his belongings, as they desperately seek answers following the popular Howth native’s unexplained disappearance last week. He was last seen on Saturday, November 4th.
“Emotionally, it’s been very heavy. Arriving at the beach last week, meeting our friends, and Ross’s parents,” says Gene Gallerano, a close friend and colleague of Ross’s for many years.
“There was such a hit of urgency, when we saw all the ‘missing’ posters. It makes you realise that this is really happening, but there’s a vacuum of closure. We may never know certain things.”
Gene and Ross worked on many projects together over the years and became close friends. “Just last week, we were scheduled to be in London together to work on a shoot with Naomi Campbell,” says Gene.
He and other friends realised something was wrong when the usually reliable Ross failed to show up for a lunch engagement. After phone calls and visits to his apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the group shared ideas, with Gene remembering that his friend would often bike out to the beach at Fort Tilden. It was there that Ross’s bike was found, still chained up, on November 7th, days after he had last been spotted.
Police are still searching for his backpack, a black North Face bag, as well as the clothes he was wearing, a red puffy vest, also North Face, a pair of black and white running shoes and dark-coloured khaki pants.
[ Irish film-maker reported missing in New YorkOpens in new window ]
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has said that anybody who comes forward with the clothes or any of Ross’s possessions will not be in trouble and the items are simply needed to aid the investigation.
The 44 year old, who has worked extensively in Ukraine, Mexico and Afghanistan, had been speaking with friends right until his unexplained disappearance.
“I spoke with him the last day he was seen. He was chatty, but that’s the way he always was,” says Gene.
“It has been demanding, trying to get the NYPD to help but, to be honest, they have done an underwhelming job. Although it’s comforting to know that the beachcombers and fishermen are out there. They practically live on that beach, so if something is out there, they will probably find it.”
While Ross’s parents have both returned to Dublin, having spent a difficult week searching for their son, concern over Ross’s whereabouts continues.
Described on social media by various sources as “an incredible human being”, “an immensely talented guy” and “a diamond who is in all of our hearts”, Ross has long been an admired member of the filmmaking and photography communities.
His feature film, Colony, was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, won the IDFA [International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam] First Feature Award, and was nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award.
His 2017 documentary Elian, nominated for an Emmy, told the story of Elian Gonzalez, the five-year-old Cuban child who was at the centre of an international custody and immigration controversy in 2000 that stirred tensions in US-Cuban relations.
His film The First Wave – a multiple award-winning, critically acclaimed documentary – was released in 2021, detailing the efforts of a New York hospital as it battled through the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. His cinematography on the Showtime series The Trade won an Emmy in 2021.
“There’s a percentage of me that feels there’s a hope, that he’s out there, away somewhere,” says friend Gene Gallerano. “Maybe he has gone to Mexico for a project, but, I just don’t know.”