A 19-year-old man is dead after police say he drowned while swimming in the Rockaways.
It happened just after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when emergency crews were called to Beach 67th Street near Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Arverne.
Witnesses on the beach say the victim was drinking alcohol and swimming with two other teens when his friends say they lost him in the water.
"They were drinking, they were being rowdy on the rocks, cracking beer bottles, and then they were actually running back and forth, swimming. And then my sister was the one who actually went out, and she was the one who told me to call 911 because the friend was missing," said one witness.
Divers found the victim about 50 yards offshore and administered CPR before he was pronounced dead.
There were no lifeguards on duty at the time.
City beaches open for the season Saturday.