Family and friends host vigil to remember teen who drowned in Monongahela River
GLASSPORT, Pa. (KDKA) - A community is mourning after a teen drowned in the Monongahela River in Glassport.
On Sunday night, his family came together for a vigil as they question how this happened to a 17-year-old who they say couldn't swim.
Keion Coleman held back tears and trembled, thinking about his little brother, Benjerman, who went by Benny.
"He was definitely my best friend," Keion said.
Glassport police said the 17-year-old was swimming and fishing with others in the Monongahela River off Harrison Street when he went under Friday night. He was in shallow water next to a drop-off 12 to 15 feet deep.
Dive teams and first responders from across the region responded, conducting a massive search effort. They recovered Benny's body about five hours later, 10 feet away from where he was last seen.
His guardian told KDKA Benny was with his older girlfriend and her parents at the time. She said police told her that the people Benny was with were drinking alcohol, but police wouldn't confirm whether Benny was as they're awaiting autopsy and toxicology results.
"This type of like, deaths don't just happen," Keion said.
Keion and the rest of his family are in disbelief because they say Benny didn't know how to swim.
"He would not have went into the water like my baby brother knows he can't swim. It's a subconscious thing. As a kid, he would rarely want to be in the in the bathtub, take a shower," Keion said.
As they wait for answers, they're sticking together, holding a vigil Sunday night in the pouring rain as they process their loss. They placed balloons in the water, and lit candles.
"I will miss him so much," Keion said.
The pain is still fresh, and Keion said he believes in his gut, something isn't right.
"My baby brother is telling me something. It's been raining over these past days, so I know he's telling me something, it don't just rain," Keion said.
KDKA reached out to the Glassport police chief for updates. All he said is the case remains under investigation.
