The mother of the 17-year-old boy feared to have drowned off the shore of a Rockaway beach is still holding out hope her son will come home days after he and a friend disappeared from the shoreline.
“Everything is at a standstill,” said Kibret Perkins, whose son Christian Perkins vanished alongside 16-year-old Elyjha Chandler Friday. “I still have hope. I still have my hope.”
Christian and Elyjha were in the water with friends off Jacob Riis Park when they were swept under the waves.
“He cannot swim, so he wouldn’t go too far out,” Perkins, who noted her son was very athletic but had never had a swimming lesson, told the Daily News on Monday night.
First responders were called to the beach by Bay 2 around 6:30 p.m., after the beach was closed to swimmers for the night.
The NYPD, FDNY and Coast Guard searched the waters for the two teens as drones buzzed over the shoreline, but they couldn’t be found.
On Saturday, a day after the boys went missing, the Coast Guard suspended the “exhaustive” search, which covered more than 600 square miles, according to a press release.
Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News
An NYPD Harbor launch scans the coastline Saturday at Riis Park Beach as the search continues for two missing teens who disappeared while swimming. (Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News)
The search extended from Sandy Hook, N.J., to Long Beach, L.I., and offshore approximately 20 nautical miles, the release continued.
Christian and Elyjha have been friends since they were small children and both attend Abraham Lincoln High School in Coney Island, according to Perkins.
The teens also played on a football team together. Christian’s family believes they were at practice before they headed to the beach.
Christian’s devastated mother said Monday she believes the tragedy “definitely” could’ve been avoided if the city took better beach safety precautions.
“Number one, if the park is closed they should have patrol cars patrolling to make sure no one is in the water,” said Perkins. “We all know how Jacob Riis Beach is when it comes to the tidal waves, especially with these seasonal riptides.
“They should have more lifeguards, and patrol after it closes,” the devastated mother added.
She also argued adequate signage should be posted when swimmers are not allowed in the water.
“I didn’t even know that they put up red flags there until what happened to my son,” said Perkins. “The lifeguards should announce before they go off duty. They should say when they close.”
After getting word of Christian’s disappearance, his grandmother headed north from Florida, where she believes beaches are better maintained and much safer for swimmers.
“They say when it’s time to get out of the water,” said Doreen Nelson. “We have guards to make sure no one is on the beach when it closes. They should be patrolling it.”
In the wake of the disappearances, Perkins reached out to Elyjah’s heartbroken mother, and the two plan to meet up.
“I’m not going to the scene,” Perkins said of the beach. “I never went to the scene.”
Christian’s father described his son, who just turned 17 last week, as a “good” and “happy” kid.
“He always wanna be funny and try to make people smile,” said Christopher Perkins, 48. “Christian is a good kid. He just likes to be out and doing things. He’s very active.”
The boys had yet to be found as of late Monday.