Search underway for 2 teens missing in the water of New York City beach

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities were searching for two teenagers who went missing in the water at a New York City beach, police said Saturday.

Police received reports of a possible drowning at Jacob Riis Park in Queens at about 6:30 p.m. Friday. Responding officers were told that two boys aged 16 and 17 had been seen struggling in the water before they disappeared, according to the New York Police Department.

The search on Friday night included divers, the city’s fire department and the U.S. Coast Guard. Police said the search continued Saturday.

Witnesses said the teens appeared to have been overtaken by a big wave they tried to handle by jumping up, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told WCBS-TV at the scene Friday night.

“We think that it may be a riptide, but that’s still under investigation,” Daughtry said.

The teens were not identified.