SOURCE: FLORIDA TIMES-UNION
AUDIENCE: 155,590
DATE: 12-01-2009
HEADLINE: 
Teen drowns after 3 friends steal boat Teen drowns after 3 friends steal boat 

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Teen drowns after 3 friends steal boat Two boys swim to shore, leaving the other alone to die The Times-Union

Five hours into search efforts, divers pulled the body of a 16year-old from the Mandarin lake where he disappeared Monday after screaming for help while his boat companions swam to shore and ran, witnesses and authorities said. It started shortly after 2 p.m. at the Woodbridge at the Lake apartments on Losco Road when three teenage boys were in a 12-foot boat near the middle of the lake. They were trying to get to the other side, and when they couldn't maneuver the boat, they jumped in and tried to swim for it, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Sgt said. Two of the unidentified juveniles swam to shore, while the third disappeared Jacksonville Sheriff's Office personnel watch from the bank of a lake at the Woodbridge at the Lake complex on Losco Road in Mandarin as a helicopter looks from above for a drowning victim Monday afternoon.  The Times-Union into the murky water of the manmade lake. Someone dove into the water to try to rescue the boy in distress but was overwhelmed by the distance. The Good Samaritan was rescued by off-duty firefighter, said Jacksonville fire department spokesman. Divers located the dead boy about 7 p.m. subject identified him, who lived in the area but not at the Woodbridge apartments. Friends who gathered at the scene said victim was a Mandarin High School student. subject said police had spoken to one of the two survivors, and were following up with the second. One witness said the boat had been tied up across the pond and was stolen by the boys, which subject DROWNING continues on B-2 confirmed late Monday. . The witness said he saw those inside jump from the green johnboat near a fountain at the center ofthe pond. "They all three started swimming and one of them was yelling, 'Help' and his buddies swam and just got out and... took off on him," said the witness. Another witness, who lives in ari apartment facing the lake, said he heard the screams, looked out and saw one youth in Serious trouble. "He was so far out there, he went down about four or five times. About that fifth time he never came back up," said the resident. subject said victim’s mother said he knew how to swim. The Sheriff's Office brought out its dive team, sonar equipment and helicopter for the search, which extended into the night. Family members, who didn't wish to comment, and dozens of teens kept vigil by the lake's edge. Many more residents of the sprawling complex were drawn to the. scene and expressed their sadness over the loss. subject said the owner of the boat declined to press charges against the other boys in the theft.
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