Friends and Family Mourn Jared Amory, Taken Off Life Support Sunday

Friends and family are mourning Jared Amory, the 15-year-old White Plains boy who was found in a Peekskill pool June 30, this week.

Amory was taken off life support yesterday, four days after he had been declared brain dead by authorities at the Westchester Medical Examiner’s Office, officials said. His organs were harvested for donation before he was taken off the ventilator Sunday, authorities said.

Throughout the painful experience, friends and family were routing for and then mourning Amory’s death on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook.

“Everything from now on I'm doing in honor of my cousin Jared. You truly missed I love you. I know you in a betta place watching ova everyone,” wrote someone who identified himself as Amory’s cousin under the name Poppa Garcia.

“RIP my best friend he will never be forgotten my bro,” wrote Edwin Arroyo on Facebook.

Amory nearly drowned in Peekskill’s in Depew park after he and three friends, ages 15 and 16, illegally jumped an eight-foot fence and broke into the pool around 10:35 p.m. June 30.

The friends saw that Amory was drowning and were unable to save him. They ran for help and Charles Flood, a 53-year-old Peekskill resident who was walking his dog and is a retired New York City firefighter, jumped the fence and rescued Amory from the pool. 

"It was weird because I had a premonition that something was going to happen," Flood said, explaining that he knows kids break into the pool very often despite a heavy police presence and cameras. Flood gave Amory CPR, concerned to do so without protection, but eager to help as he thought of his own 15-year-old son, he said. Despite Flood's efforts, once EMS arrived it was difficult to clear Amory's lungs and get him breathing on his own, Flood said. 

Peekskill police and EMS responded and Amory was taken to the Hudson Valley Hospital Center and then to the Westchester Medical Center by helicopter. As explained above, he was pronounced brain dead by the Westchester County Medical Examiner's office on Tuesday, July 3 and then was taken off life support July 8. 

Authorities said there is no reason to suspect foul play but that they had not ruled out charging the boys with illegal trespassing last week.

If you have a message for Amory’s friends and family please leave it in the comments below.