A 13-year-old boy has gone missing after he allegedly accepted a dare to jump into New York City’s East River on Friday, October 20. The teenager has been identified as Kavion Brown by his cousin, as per the New York Post. He reportedly disappeared after entering the water near East River Park in Manhattan’s East Village shortly after 4 p.m. local time.
Kavion may have been trying to prove himself
Kavion reportedly said, “Look what I can do,” to his friends before jumping into the river, confirmed an NYPD spokesperson to the Post. He was then carried away by a strong current. He may have been trying to prove himself in front of his friends, leading to him jumping in the water.
Authorities have been searching for the teenager since his disappearance. The search by NYPD scuba divers will be continued on Monday after being paused due to poor weather.
Kavion’s great-aunt joined in the search
Alena Godfrey, Kavion’s great-aunt, kept a watchful eye over the river amid Sunday’s search upon the request of the boy’s grandmother in case authorities found his body, she told the Daily News.
“We watched the scuba divers and everything,” Alena reportedly said at the start of her vigil on Saturday. “We kept watching and then when the sun was going down, you know, it’s not too much that they can do. We went home. I got up this morning. I did the same thing.”
No foul play is suspected
Kavion’s family is desperately looking for answers surrounding the teen’s disappearance. “I want my baby,” his mother, LaQuana Badger Godfrey, expressed to WABC-TV.
“We need to know what happened,” Alena told the Daily News. “My sister is not going to let this go. She said she needs to know what happened to her grandson.”
“They need to go into social media, into these schools, and find out what kids was with him,” the great-aunt further added. Despite Kavion’s family’s assertions, no foul play is suspected by the police, according to the Post.