Police: Search Over For Missing 17-Year-Old Swimmer In Long Branch
LONG BRANCH, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The search for a missing 17-year-old from Paterson who disappeared while swimming off a beach in Long Branch is over.
Lifeguards and divers had resumed searching for the teen, identified by police as Rudy Mena, early Tuesday morning, but the search was called off by noon, according to Long Branch police.
1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports
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Mena was swimming with his sister and another man Sunday evening after life guards had gone home for the day when they got caught in a rip current and the 17-year-old went under and didn't resurface, officials said.
The Coast Guard suspended its search for Mena Monday morning after they and other emergency responders spent about 14 hours searching 86-square miles of shoreline.
"It's tough. This is the first one that anyone of us have had on the beach," said Long Branch Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Stanley Dziuba. "They make tons of rescues in the seas and they pride themselves in keeping the beaches safe. Even though they weren't on duty, they were off, they still feel responsible to find the kid for the family."
An off-duty lifeguard rescued the other swimmers.
