Rockaway swimmer missing, surfer helps rescue 2nd swimmer

NEW YORK (AP) — A surfer helped save a woman who was swept away by currents at Rockaway Beach, but a second woman is still missing, police said Saturday.

Police divers responded to a call about swimmers in distress at 7:15 p.m. Friday but were unable to locate the 21-year-old woman, a department spokesperson said. The search was called off late Friday but resumed Saturday morning.

A surfer helped pull another woman out of the water, police said.

Swimming is prohibited at New York City beaches after Labor Day, when lifeguards are no longer present, but many people go in the water anyway. At least seven people drowned at Rockaway Beach in 2019.