BLASDELL, N.Y. — A Lackawanna teen drowned on Monday evening at a beach in the Southtowns.
Around 5:30 p.m., New York State Police responded to a possible drowning at Woodlawn State Park.
Two teenage boys are said to have gone into the water at the beach. Aiden Walden, 16, was unable to keep his head above the surface.
Other people at the beach helped bring Aiden out of the water and life-saving measures began immediately, according to NYSP.
Aiden was taken to South Buffalo Mercy Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"I didn't know that when I kissed him goodbye it was going to be forever," said Aiden's grieving mother Angela Harrer, who with other family members visited the scene on Tuesday morning.
"This was the last place that people had seen him. I just wanted to know what happened to him," she said.
According to his family, Aiden had come to the beach with a friend and that friend's family for a day of fun. They say he was healthy and a good swimmer.
Despite brisk wind conditions at the time and waves of 1-2 feet, the National; Weather Service described the risk to swimmers as "low".
According to sources, there were lifeguards on duty. However, the boys had ventured outside of the guarded swimming area marked by buoys when the tragedy occurred.
Aiden Walden, who most recently attended West Seneca schools, was about to begin his Junior year at Lackawanna High, according to his mother, who said her son loved video games ..and dreamed of perhaps someday designing them someday.
His younger sister said Aiden had to grow up quickly after his father died suddenly last year, after which Aiden became somewhat of the man of the house.
"If we had problems, he was the person in our family that we went to. He would conform us and he would actually give us really good advice," said Ava Walden, 14.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist the family with Aiden's funeral expenses. They plan for him to be buried next to his father and grandfather.