— The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for a missing Wake Forest teenager who disappeared while swimming at Emerald Isle beach on Friday, police said Saturday.

Emerald Isle police Lt. David Ketchum confirmed to WRAL News that the federal agency decided to pause the search for the Wake Forest teen.

However, Ketchum said police and firefighters would continue searching for the teen during their beat patrols.

It was not immediately clear if or when the Coast Guard would resume its effort to find Ian Frazier Lewis, 18, of Wake Forest.

Emerald Isle police received a report about two swimmers in distress at about 3:50 p.m. Friday.

Authorities said police, fire crews and EMS began searching for Mary Paige Merical, 17, of Raleigh, and Lewis. when they arrived at the scene.

Crews were able to quickly locate Merical, who was taken to Carteret General Hospital for treatment. Information about her condition was pending Saturday..

The search was hampered by rough surf conditions that spawned waves between 6 and 9 feet.