Vigil for missing teenager at Jacob Riis Park

Aminatu Noah says her only child, Elyjah Chandler, went missing while swimming at Jacob Riis Park last Friday. Police say he and his 17-year-old friend went into the water as a large wave was forming and never came back out.

“To be honest, I still feel like I’m dreaming,” Noah said.

Family and friends gathered Friday for a vigil at the baseball field overlooking the beach, celebrating what was supposed to be Elyjah's 17th birthday.

“Elyjah was full of life, that’s all I know. I loved people. He loves basketball – he was also very close to the teachers and staff he was very close to. A very loving child,” Noah said.

“Elyjah was a funny and goofy man. He was very caring and very generous,” said Antoine Stoves, one of his friends.

Authorities said the teens went missing shortly after 6 p.m., when rescuers were leaving for the night. Rescue teams were deployed to the water but had to be evacuated due to strong currents, according to the New York Police Department.

Isadora Velcy said she didn't know Elyjah and his friend, but came to the vigil to pay her respects. She said she was on the beach when the two teens went into the water.

“We ran to the lifeguards and there were two girls sitting on the chair and then we screamed and ran back and I actually went in the water to see if I could still see her body but I had to go back because the waves were so strong,” Velcy said.

A day after the teens disappeared, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search. The agency says teams searched more than 600 miles, with search areas extending to Sandy Hook, New Jersey and Long Beach.

“I just pray he comes out of the water and says 'hey mom,'” Noah said.

Noah says that even though she has so much support and love around her, what she wants is to see her son again.

“At the end of the day, these are two children, and I want them both to be found and come back to us – because I need some kind of closure, God knows,” she said .