The boys were last seen around 7:15 p.m. near 56th Street and Eastwick Avenue. A 14-year-old boy fell into the river and 15-year-old Quadir Beverly jumped in after he saw him struggling.
Beverly's father Eric was heartbroken.
"He played football, basketball," he said Wednesday night. "Just a good kid. We don’t have no problems out of him."
His grandmother, Annette Lawrence, told NBC 10 that Beverly is a hero.
"He seen his friend fall in, and he thought he could swim and get him, but unfortunately, obviously, it didnt work out that way. But he tried to save him the best he could," she said.
Beverly was set to graduate from 8th grade on Thursday.