UK - Missing teen Jack Susianta who broke window left to drown?

I'm putting this here because 17-year-old Jack Susianta's family in London, UK, reported that he'd smashed a window at the family home and fled, at the same time they reported him missing. It was a welfare call.

His death followed so quickly, his missing case never hit the media and really doesn't belong in our missing or located forum; the 'crime' that was committed wasn't, so it means it doesn't belong there, but the questions his tragic death is raising in the UK makes it really up to the minute.

I believe family reported Jack breaking the window at his home Wednesday just in order to stress to police how urgent the missing person's report was. Within an hour, police officers had located Jack but seemed to be treating his case as a pursuit of a criminal, rather than a search for a missing teen. Jack fled again, with 9 police in pursuit.

He ran into a canal and eyewitnesses say he struggled in the water for up to 30 minutes (reports vary) while police stood on the bank.

A police spokesperson said: “The only thing I can say is that an officer went into the water to rescue him. We can’t say either way whether that was while he was still visible or after he had disappeared under the water. We don’t know whether they could have got in any earlier.”

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Everyone agrees it was a passing kayaker who came to the teen's aid first. An investigation into the conduct of the Metropolitan Police is to be held, by the police.

Witness Fiona Okonkwo, 42, has told how she was stopped from leaping into a canal to rescue Jack by police who allegedly refused to save him because of health and safety fears.

Angry Fiona claimed police stood by and watched for half an hour as Jack struggled for life before he slipped below the surface and drowned

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http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...investigation-over-teenager-who-died-in-canal

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jack-susianta-probe-launched-police-6168472

The Metropolitan police has vigorously defended itself against accusations that officers refused to try and save a teenager who was drowning in a river in east London, saying such media coverage was “disappointing and hard to understand”.

In an unusual and detailed rebuttal, a senior Met officer said officers threw ropes and lifebuoys to Jack Susianta, 17, and that one then risked his own life by entering the water to try and save the teenager.

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http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...-rebuts-claims-over-drowning-of-jack-susianta

He went into the water at 15.50, with, apparently 9 officers present.

Jack's body was recovered at 17.20.

School friends of Jack gathered at the location to pay tribute to the teenager.

Ned O'Regan said: He was a hard working boy and he achieved really highly.

"I can't comprehend that this has happened. He was just a normal boy, he had such high hopes. He was so passionate about what he did and he said and it's so sad."

Mary Greene said: "I think everyone's completely in shock and it just feels really surreal.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-33713724

A photo of Hackney canal where Jack drowned in plain sight. Thoughts anyone?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jack-susianta-probe-launched-police-6168472

UK police seem to be collecting quite a history here.

Police watched as teens desperately tried to save friend

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ds-Hampstead-Heath-pond-hottest-day-year.html

Police defend drowning death case of 10 -year-old

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7006412.stm

If this is true - that 9 grown men stood by and watched him drown - it's utterly disgraceful. I am not a strong swimmer at all, but I'd certainly take my chances in still waters only a few metres from the bank. How could you not? I'm gobsmacked....

It is literally health and safety gone completely mad and will be the downfall of this nation. Makes me ashamed to be British sometimes.

Rant over. RIP kid.

Wow. If that's truly what happened, I hope these people are punished or charged with something. So sad.

The 55-year-old added: “There was no one in the water helping him, that was the horrible thing about it. We watched him, a hundred or so people, going under and coming back up.”

Oh no, how could anybody stand and watch? Police, bystanders, whoever but I couldn't have stood and watched. You either go in, throw him something, find a big stick, run away even, anything but watch. That poor boy. I think I need a time out from here for a while, the stories I'm reading at the moment are just too sad.
RIP Jack.

I wonder if it was a psychotic break or a drug-induced reaction? How sad..

zwiebel said:

A photo of Hackney canal where Jack drowned in plain sight. Thoughts anyone?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jack-susianta-probe-launched-police-6168472

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They threw buoys and ropes at him rather than jumping in to save him? What kind of person can sit by and watch another one drown? Disgusting. Criminal.

RIP Jack.

CoverMeCagney said:

If this is true - that 9 grown men stood by and watched him drown - it's utterly disgraceful. I am not a strong swimmer at all, but I'd certainly take my chances in still waters only a few metres from the bank. How could you not? I'm gobsmacked....

It is literally health and safety gone completely mad and will be the downfall of this nation. Makes me ashamed to be British sometimes.

Rant over. RIP kid.

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Be very careful if you do try. A drowning person often panics and grabs onto a rescuer, taking both of them to the bottom.

When I had lifeguard training in the last century, they recommended grabbing a flailing victim by the hair and pulling him/her to safety. Only if you are sure the victim is calm, do you attempt the traditional arm around the upper torso rescue.

This is by no means to defend the London police. With nine officers, they could have sent several into the water to rescue even the most terrified young man. The policemen just didn't want to get wet, IMO, or they were following idiotic rules.

Good point, Nova!!

It being a waterway, surely there'd have been a life ring hanging up somewhere nearby? Was anything even thrown to try and help this lad? I'm not normally one to persecute the police in this age of litigation, but in this case I feel they were wrong to just stand by