Police ‘Refused’ To Rescue Drowning Teen From Canal Onlookers Claim, Jack Susianta Fled After Welfare Check

London’s Metropolitan police is defending its actions after eyewitnesses have proclaimed that officers refused to save a drowning boy as he struggled in a canal at Lea Bridge Road in Hackney.

Jack Susianta, the 17-year-old victim, was running from officers after jumping out of a window at his home. According to the Guardian, police were called to Susianta’s home to conduct a welfare check at the request of his parents. Susianta fled his home, wearing only a t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of socks, eventually jumping into the canal from atop a bridge on Lea Bridge Road.

Witnesses of the drowning stated that police did nothing to save Sustianta from succumbing to the watery death and that one officer eventually jumped in after him after he finally became lost below the surface. Metro U.K. reported that Fiona Okonkwo was one of the witnesses, stating that Susianta struggled for nearly ten minutes before drowning.

‘The police officers refused to jump in after him and said they can’t do it. I was going to jump in after him but they stopped me. The police told us there were weeds underneath the water, that it was too dangerous and they could get dragged down.He was struggling, then he went under the water for the last time and didn’t come back up. I saw the bubbles where he took his last breath. It was only after about 10 or 15 minutes, after (Jack) didn’t resurface, that one of the officers jumped in.’

The Independent Police Complaints Commission claims that Okonkwo’s observation is incorrect and that police officers did attempt to throw a life aid his way. They also stated that one officer risked his own life to save Susianta.

“Despite attempts to rescue the teenager, including an officer entering the water – who himself had to be assisted by a canoeist – the attempt to rescue him failed.A life aid was thrown to the male but the male went under the water. An officer then entered the canal in an attempt to rescue him. The police officer was then assisted and returned to the bank by a member of the public on a kayak.”

The circumstances surrounding Susianta’s actions are currently under investigation and it is unknown what his motive to run might have been. It was reported that he went missing on Tuesday, but returned home prior to running from the police.

[Photo Courtesy: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images News]