Middletown, Pa., police say 16-year-old Phil Oseredzuk was kayaking in the flood-swollen Mill Creek off Snowball Drive on Wednesday night when that kayak tipped over.
Rescue crews say Oseredzuk, a student at Neshaminy High School, was swept under in the current. He was found hanging on to a tree branch. He went under the water again, and wasn't pulled out until five minutes later. Oseredzuk was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died.
The teen was well known, and he ran his own landscaping business. CBS 3 Eyewitness News talked to a few of his 50 customers. They said Oseredzuk was much more than just the kid who cut their grass.
"Phil was bigger than life."
"He was just amazing. More than anything, he was my good friend. He was a friend of ours. It's heartbreaking."
"He's a well respectable kid, and he worked hard for everything that he has."
"He just reminded me of myself when I was his age, but he was a lot farther ahead."
Many of Oseredzuk's friends and classmates held a vigil at the spot where he drowned Thursday night. Officials used the tragedy as a reminder to stay indoors and safe during weather emergencies.