Searchers on Thursday recovered the body of a 17-year-old boy who drowned in the Delaware River one day earlier after he had jumped in to save a friend from drowning.
The tragedy occurred along the river near Pennypack on the Delaware park.
At about 6 p.m. May 25, three teens were on the bank when a female apparently fell into the water, a police department spokeswoman said. The two others, both males, jumped into the water to save her.
The female and one of the males made it back to shore, but the 17-year-old did not.
Police responded to the scene at 6:14 p.m. The search continued until 11 p.m., stopped, then resumed the following day. Searchers found the body on a riverside property at 7777 State Road.
Police sources have identified the victim as William Wilkinson, a Lincoln High School student and Tacony resident. Published reports identified the survivors as Josh Garner, 19, and Jennifer Torres, 18. An official police department spokeswoman could not confirm the identities.
The Philadelphia police and fire departments, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and New Jersey State Police, were involved in the search. ••
