The Coast Guard called off the search Saturday for two teenagers who went missing the previous day off a busy New York City beach.
Police say the boys, ages 16 and 17, went missing Friday just minutes after the lifeguards finished their shift.
Witnesses said the boys were swimming in Jacob Riis Park in Queens when a huge wave swept them away and they never resurfaced. Rescue teams from the New York City Fire Department were dispatched to the water after receiving an emergency call just after 6 p.m., but even the most experienced swimmers and divers were called back to shore.
In total, the search covered more than 600 miles, according to the Coast Guard, and involved helicopter, aircraft and ship crews.
Drones and helicopters dispatched from a nearby airfield circled the area Saturday morning as authorities vowed to find the boys, sparking a rescue mission.
New York Coast Guard Commander Adm. Jonathan Andrechick said Saturday that his agency’s personnel and partner agencies, including the NYPD and New York City Fire Department, conducted an “exhaustive search.”
“The decision to call off a search is always difficult and weighs heavily on all involved,” Andreczyk said.
The boys’ identities have not been released and the NYPD said it was unclear whether they were able to swim, with NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry adding that the situation is a parent’s worst nightmare.
“We think this may have been a rip current, but we’re still investigating,” Daughtry said Friday.
