FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WPTV) – Loved ones are mourning a 16-year-old boy from Florida who drowned at the beach, saying he is gone way too soon.
Jonathan Peralta Leon, 16, drowned around 7 p.m. Sunday at Pepper Park Beach in Fort Pierce, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. His sister, Johanna Peralta Leon, says her brother was in the water with friends.
“With a heavy heart, I say goodbye to you, my little brother. May you rest easy. I hope to see you again in another lifetime. This world doesn’t feel the same without you,” she said.
The beach is typically guarded until 5 p.m. every day.
“It was about an hour after we got off duty. A couple of us were still in the area, so we came back to see if there was anything we could do,” said Morgan Harmon, a lieutenant with Ocean Rescue.
Unfortunately, the only individuals Harmon encountered were Jonathan Peralta Leon’s two friends, who had managed to make it out safely.
“The people who were in trouble were a little shaken up, but mainly everyone was just out here checking to make sure nobody else was in the water,” Harmon said.
Jonathan Peralta Leon was a junior at Westwood High School. A mother of one of his friends fondly recalled him, writing, “He was a very respectful young man. He would call me ‘Old Senora’ then laugh and say, ‘I love you.’”
Loved ones have taken to social media, sharing pictures and messages about the 16-year-old, who they call a great person who is gone way too soon. His family has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
Harmon says the conditions at the beach, where red flags are currently flying, are extremely dangerous and have been for about two weeks.
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