Family, Friends Light Lanterns For Missing Teen Fishermen
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JUPITER (CBSMiami) – A mother is hopeful that her 14-year-old son and his friend, who went missing at sea, are out there somewhere – and will make it home alive and well.
"We are 100 percent completely faithful that the boys are out there and we are committed to the search in finding them," said Pamela Cohen.
Friends are hopeful too.
Hundreds gathered at the Jupiter Inlet Monday night. They released lanterns with flames in them. They see it as a light to show the boys the way home.
"Hopefully the lanterns will fly far enough and they'll be able to see them and know we're still looking for them – that we need them to come home," said friend Isabella Murgio.
She and her mom organized the vigil.
Cohen's son Perry and his friend Austin Stephanos were last seen taking off on a 19-foot fishing boat during bad weather Friday. The two were possibly heading for the Bahamas from Jupiter.
On Sunday, the Coast Guard found their boat capsized miles off Daytona Beach. There was one life jacket floating nearby, but no sign of the teens.
That frightening scene, however, actually gave Cohen hope.
"While it's terrifying to know that the boat capsized, it's also a great relief because it allows the Coast Guard to strictly focus on a specific area now," she said.
On Monday, she posted this on Twitter.
EVERYONE IS AWAITING YOUR SAFE RETURN MY SWEET BOY! There are literally millions of people praying… https://t.co/mP8YTE2DhK
— PAMELA COHEN (@PERMINAK) July 27, 2015
The Coast Guard is searching north of where the boat was found – all the way up to Jacksonville.
"That's where our flow models have shown the most likelihood of them being, so that's currently where we are focusing our search efforts, about 60 to 70 miles off Jacksonville," said Petty Officer Steve Lehman.
While conditions can be rough in the open ocean, the Coast Guard said the boys can hang on for a few days.
"We go by survivability tables. In the warm water, you can survive for quite a few days. Even four to five days in these conditions," said Lehman.
NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath, who is Cohen's neighbor and has know the boys for the last 10 years, said both are experienced boaters.
Namath said, "The history of the high seas shows survival rates over the years, there have been miracles out there and we're planning on finding the children."
While the Coast Guard and Navy search the ocean, family and friends of the missing teens are combing the beach for boat debris, a yeti cooler or engine cowling.
Cohen went to social media to ask for help checking the beaches.
Anyone that is located near the beaches from Jupiter Florida up the coast to the beaches of Georgia… https://t.co/UdmEF2ccDR
— PAMELA COHEN (@PERMINAK) July 27, 2015
Perry's mom said she's confident the boys are looking after one another.
"These boys are beautiful boys, they really really are. We need to find them we miss them so much," she said.
The families of the teens are also offering $100,000 reward in the search.
The Coast Guard said they are not accepting volunteers at this time because of the large number of ships and aircraft involved in the search.
If you would like to aid in the rescue, the families have created "The Perry & Austin Rescue Fund" which will be utilized to fund private aircraft, boat fuel and any other additional resources needed for the immediate recovery of these missing boys.
Should there be any surplus funds at the conclusion of the search and rescue efforts, they will be directed to aid in similar activity that will benefit saving lives in related situations.
