2 Teens Who Died In Jamaica Bay Identified By NYPD; Families Mourn

QUEENS, NY — Two 13-year-old best friends who died Friday after falling into Jamaica Bay were identified by police this weekend as both families mourned their deaths, according to the NYPD and reports.

Ryan Wong and Daniel Persaud, both 13-years-old, were hanging out on a sandbar near the North Channel Bridge when they fell into the water about 11:40 a.m., police said.

After a search involving rescue divers and helicopters, first responders rescued both boys and rushed them to a nearby hospital, but neither could be saved by doctors, according to the NYPD.

The boys — best friends who lived less than a mile apart in South Richmond Hill — skipped class Friday to go to the beach with friends, according to multiple reports.

Brith Persaud, Daniel's father, told CBS2 that he wished his son's school alerted him to his absence earlier.

"I could have saved my son's life that day. I have a tracker on his phone, so I can pick up exactly where he's at, and call him and pick him up," the father said. He told CBS2 that he didn't get a message that Daniel had skipped school until 7 p.m. Friday — hours after his death.

The elder Persaud remembered his son as kind and rule-following.

"Thirteen years old. One amazing kid. I got no complaints," he said. "That's the first time that you ever make an incident like that, it caused his life."

Wong's family was also shocked to hear about the circumstances of his death.

"If he goes out, he always asks for permission," Wong's grandmother, Sonita Shiwminga, told The New York Daily News. "But (Friday), not a word. I said, ‘Baby are you going to school?’ He said yes. Everyone is just shocked ... He’s a very good kid, he doesn’t give trouble."

The teenagers, though, are not the first people to drown in the water of Jamaica Bay, an area know for its strong currents and steep drop-offs.

A Parks Department spokesperson told The New York Times that the boys were swimming in "an unprotected, non-lifeguarded area" at the time of their death. With summer approaching, the spokesperson urged New Yorkers to swim cautiously.

"Visitors are reminded to swim only when lifeguards are present," she told The Times.

Both Wong and Persaud's families are planning to hold a vigil Monday night at Jamaica Bay, where the boys drowned, according to CBS2.

Related Article: Teenagers, 13, Die After Falling Into Jamaica Bay, Police Say