Search resumes for missing swimmers off of the Rockaways

NEW YORK - The search resumes Wednesday for two swimmers believed to be in the waters of the Atlantic off of the beaches in the Rockaways in Queens.

Three teenagers went out for a swim Tuesday afternoon on their day off from school, but only one came back, according to police.

The teens were no match for the vicious rip currents off Shore Front Parkway and Beach 96th Street.

The initial report came in just after 3:30 pm. When first responders arrived, they found a 15-year-old had been saved by a Good Samaritan.

No lifeguards were on duty at the time; they haven’t been since the end of the beach season last month.

Rescuers did everything they could, searching by air, and in the ocean with police divers and boats, but the surf was too dangerous even for them.

As the sun descended, the search was called off. 

A difficult reality was setting in Wednesday as crews got back on the water for day two of the search.

This year was a particularly deadly summer in the Rockaways with four drownings in about a month.