Overview

• The teenager and a friend had been sitting on rocks near the shoreline around 12:15 p.m. when she climbed over a fence, removed her clothes and entered the water for reasons not yet known.
• The friend attempted a rescue then ran for help; by the time emergency crews arrived the girl had vanished beneath the surface.
• Rescue teams recovered her clothing, book bag and jacket along the shoreline; her whereabouts remained unknown as of 5:26 p.m.
• The East River’s tidal currents reverse every six hours, can reach nearly six miles per hour and conceal sudden drop-offs in depths exceeding 60 feet.
• NYPD and FDNY water rescue units continue surface and underwater sweeps as the investigation remains ongoing.