Two teenagers disappear while swimming near Jacob Riis Park

Two teenagers remain missing after disappearing while swimming in the ocean near Beach 149th Street and Jacob Riis Park on the evening of Friday, June 21.

Police say the two teens were first reported to the NYPD, FDNY and the U.S. Coast Guard last Friday around 6:35 p.m., shortly after rescuers left duty for the day. .

From there, FDNY and NYPD divers spent two hours searching for the teens until dark, along with the NYPD Aviation Special Operations Unit, which flew over the area. The U.S. Coast Guard continued the search through the night, and teams from the NYPD and FDNY resumed their search the next day.

After 24 hours of searching over 600 square miles, stretching from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to Long Beach, New York, the search was officially suspended on the evening of Saturday, June 22.

“The decision to suspend the search is always difficult and weighs heavily on everyone involved,” said Capt. Jonathan Andrechik, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York. “Our crews, along with our partner agencies, have conducted an exhaustive search, and our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time.”

The two missing teens were later identified as Elyjha Chandler, 16, and Christian Perkins, 17, of Brooklyn.

Elyjha’s parents, Aminatu Noah and Urshell Chandler, sat on the beach Saturday as the search continued, holding out hope for their son’s safe return. Noah asked the public for prayers during a Facebook live stream as she traveled to Rockaway earlier in the day.

“If you’re watching, please pray for my son,” Noah said, fighting back tears. “If there’s anything… Lord, please take me and leave him. Spare him. Please find him and spare him.”

According to Urshell Chandler, Elyjha's father, his son was swept underwater with Christian, prompting a good Samaritan to spring into action and attempt to pull Elyjha out of the water. After surfacing three times, Elyjha went back underwater and never resurfaced.

“He wasn't far out in the water,” Chandler said The New York Post. “One of the boys told me that when the water hit them, it was as if a demon had rushed at them.”

Recalling his son's love of basketball and his academic success, Chandler remained hopeful about his safe return last weekend as he walked the beach, searching for Elyjha himself.

Christian's mother, Kibret Perkins, shares that sense of hope, noting that even though she hasn't been to the beach, her faith persists.

“Everything is at a standstill,” Kibret Perkins said the New York Daily News. “I still have hope. I still have my hope.

According to Perkins, Christian and Elyjha are both students at Abraham Lincoln High School in Coney Island and have been friends for many years. The two teenagers are also on the same football team and attended practice together before heading to the beach last Friday.

A candlelight vigil for Elyjha Chandler will be held at Jacob Riis Park later today at 5:30 p.m. The event will honor Elyjha’s life and celebrate her 17th birthday, which falls today, June 28. All attendees are asked to wear purple or white in her memory.