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by Zach Haberman
Two teenage girls were rescued from the waters off Rockaway yesterday by a cop, an off-duty lifeguard and firefighters who swam out to save them.
The teens — 16 and 18-year-olds whose names were withheld — almost drowned off Beach 116th Street when an undertow pulled them 100 yards into the ocean at 6:45 p.m. Lifeguards had already left for the day.
"They were saying, 'I don't want to die. Please don't leave me here,' " said city lifeguard Thaddeus Schneider, 30, who ran into the water after hearing "gut-wrenching screams."
An alert cop, who was working a patrol near the beach, also heard the screams for help. The two-year veteran — a former Marine trained in water rescues — charged into the ocean.
An NYPD helicopter swooped in to drop flotation rings to help the rescuers as firefighters from Ladder Cos. 137 and 121, along with members of Engine Co. 268, pulled everyone safely to shore.
The teens were taken to Peninsula General Hospital in stable condition.
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