Missing Teen's Family Believes He Leaped from Staten Island Ferry After Leaving a Note
A police spokesperson tells PEOPLE that crews responded to 'a 911 call for a water rescue in the vicinity of the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal' just before 10 a.m. local time
His sister said her brother was texting a group of friends before the incident occurredA missing 17-year-old boy's family says he leapt from the Staten Island Ferry and had left a note beforehand.
Police said Brandon Pino has been missing since he jumped from the boat around 9:45 a.m. local time on Saturday, May 31, as the vessel neared Manhattan, according to the New York Daily News.
Police responded to 'a 911 call for a water rescue in the vicinity of the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal' just before 10 a.m. local time on Saturday, the New York Police Department's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI) shared in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
'Officers from the 1st Precinct, along with the NYPD's Harbor Unit, SCUBA team, Emergency Services Unit and Aviation responded to the scene and are currently canvassing the waterway and shoreline,' the spokesperson said.
Cathleen Pino, Brandon's 27-year-old sister, told the Daily News that her brother had posted a message on Instagram before jumping into the water.
Brandon, who lived in Port Richmond, had gone to his uncle's house on Staten Island around 7 a.m. on Saturday, then went to the St. George Ferry Terminal, Cathleen said. She added that her brother did not tell anyone of his plans.
Cathleen claimed her brother, who was a senior at Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School in New Springville, was texting a group of concerned friends shortly before he jumped.
'His friends told me that they had seen that he was [happier] than usual at school lately,' Cathleen told the paper. 'It seems very odd because he was being himself, which was eating, cooking for himself, cooking his healthy food, going to the gym, going to school early, being there for his graduation practice.'
Cathleen said a witness informed the ferry's crew about the incident as the boat docked, according to the Daily News.
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Family members are doing their own search, according to Cathleen, who also said she has not received an update from authorities.
Cathleen said members of her family, especially her mother, hope to recover Brandon's body in order to 'to get some type of closure.'
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, the DCPI spokesperson tells PEOPLE.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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