The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday night suspended the search for a missing teenage swimmer in Huntington Beach.
The 15-year-old was reported missing around 9 p.m. Sunday after he went swimming with friends near Lifeguard Tower 11, south of the Huntington Beach Pier, and did not return, according to a Coast Guard news release.
A Coast Guard response boat from Station Los Angeles-Long Beach, a Jayhawk helicopter and the Coast Guard Cutter Blackfin and their crews searched the area.
Rescuers stand ready on shore during the search for a missing teenage swimmer in Huntington Beach.
(On stage.TV)
They worked through the night from Sunday to Monday, until the search was called off around 8 p.m. The teenager's identity has not been released.
“The decision to suspend an active search is never easy and is only made after exhaustive efforts to locate the missing person,” Capt. Stacey Crecy, commander of Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, said in the statement. “We are heartbroken for his family and friends.”
Huntington Beach lifeguards, the Orange County Fire Authority, the Huntington Beach Fire Department and the Huntington Beach Police Department assisted in the search, which lasted nearly 20 hours and covered 105 square miles.
According to authorities, strong rip currents and waves of 3 to 5 feet were reported in the area through Sunday. The Coast Guard warned swimmers to be careful when entering the water, especially when there are strong rip currents or waves.
