Authorities are searching for a teen swimmer who went missing in Huntington Beach Sunday evening.
The teen went missing near the pier, close to tower 11 just before 9 p.m. He never came to shore after going in the water with a friend. The other swimmer who made it to shore called for help and reported his friend missing.
Search teams were scanning an area from Huntington Beach Pier to Santa Ana River. At a midday news conference, a representative of the U.S. Coast Guard said the agency was continuing the search.
"The search area has expanded since Sunday night, spanning about 10 miles from Golden-West Street, here in Huntington Beach, as far south as Balboa, in Newport," said Jennifer Carrey, a spokesperson for the city of Huntington Beach.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
A representative for the US Coast Guard said the missing teen is 15 years old and was with at least one other person when he is believed to have been caught in a rip-tide.
"A group of teenagers went out to swim and the rip tide caught one of them. They all made it to shore except for one. And the kids were smart and called 911 and got help right away, and there's now divers out there and everyone's looking for him" Heidy WIlliams, a witness, said.
Multiple agencies are working on the search including California state lifeguards, Huntington Beach lifeguards. The U.S. Coast Guard searched the area from the air in one of their helicopters, flying up and down the coast.
Local
Carrey says Huntington Beach first responders are transitioning into the ‘recovery phase’ of the operation.
The US Coast Guard said it would keep searching into the afternoon.
Marine safety was leading the search, with the assistance of Newport Beach lifeguards and State Park lifeguards.
Another update is expected later today. Details on the teen's identity were not immediately available.
