NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Authorities are continuing the search Saturday morning for two teenage boys who went missing while swimming in the waters off Jacob Riis Park in Queens on Friday evening.
The NYPD, FDNY, United State Park Police, NYC Emergency Management and the Coast Guard responded to the beach at about 6:35 p.m. on Friday to look for the boys, ages 16 and 17.
“When officers arrived they were met by numerous beachgoers who said that there was a wave that came in. The teens tried to jump up to kind of slice the wave ,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations told reporters on Friday night.
“The wave was extremely high, and it went on top of them and sucked them over. We think that it may be a riptide, but that’s still under investigation,” Daughtry continued.
The two boys were observed struggling, police said, and one beachgoer told reporters that she saw a lot of “very distressed teens” at the scene.
Daughtry said that divers were forced to come out of the water because of rough, dangerous currents.
While the NYPD and FDNY concluded their search at about 10 p.m. until daylight, the Coast Guard and U.S. Parks Police continued looking overnight.
The NYPD said that its Harbor Patrol rejoined efforts Saturday morning.
Drones and helicopters were also being used to aid in the search.
“A parent’s worst nightmare is our worst nightmare, and we will not rest until BOTH OF THEM are found,” Daughtry wrote on X at 10:35 p.m. Friday.