Boy saw two drowned boys playing near water's edge before disappearance, sources say
A third teenager was with the two boys found dead in waters off Manhattan when the pair went missing earlier this month — and told cops he saw them playing near the shoreline before they vanished, law enforcement sources said Monday.
While the circumstances of the boys’ death remains opaque, the witness reported that he saw Alfa Barrie, 11, and Garrett Warren, 13, horsing around near the river’s edge, the sources said.
Then the pair went in, and the boy didn’t see them again, he told police, according the sources.
Authorities found Garrett’s body in the Harlem River on Thursday, and pulled Alfa’s corpse from the Hudson, on the other side of Manhattan, on Saturday.
The witness who was with them when they disappeared approached an adult a few hours later, and that person called 911 and described the scene to police, according to CNN.
An NYPD spokesman wouldn’t say if a 911 call had been made when asked about the case on Monday, citing the ongoing investigation.
The two pals were last seen together sometimes between the afternoon of May 12 and the morning of May 13, police have said. Surveillance video obtained by the cops showed Alfa and Garrett walking past a large group of people on Lenox Avenue at about 6 p.m. on May 12.
Garrett Warren, 13, who disappeared earlier this month after sources say he and Alfa Barrie were playing near the water’s edge. DCPI
Alfa was reported missing early Sunday morning and Garrett on Monday afternoon, police have said.
It’s not clear how the boys ended up on opposite sides of Manhattan, although an NYPD spokesman said Sunday that the tides may have played a role.
The city medical examiner ruled that Garrett had died by accidental drowning, while Alfa’s cause and manner of death was pending.
Alfa’s family told The Post on Sunday that they could barely wrap their heads around what happened to the young boy who loved math and wanted to be an engineer.
Alfa Barrie (right) was pulled from the Hudson River over the weekend. He’d been declared missing last week. AlfaBarrieFamily/Facebook
“We still do not understand what happened,” said his uncle, Ahmadou Diallo, noting his nephew didn’t know how to swim.
“He was not the adventurous type — he would not have gone on an adventure like this,” Ibrahim Diallo, Alfa’s older brother said. “He never did anything like this. He never went missing before.”
Alfa was in sixth grade at Democracy Prep in Manhattan, a family friend said.
The NYPD’s harbor unit scoured the nearby Harlem River for days after their disappearance. Robert Miller
He loved school – especially arithmetic – and told his family that he wanted to become the “best engineer there is to help make people’s lives better,” his brother said.
Garrett’s family was similarly shocked.
“We’re taking it hard,” said Garrett’s cousin, who answered the boy’s mother’s phone last week.
Alfa’s school issued a statement after his death, saying that the community grieves for him.
“Alfa was a 6th grader at Democracy Prep Harlem Middle School, where he stood out as a funny, bright, witty, inquisitive, and brave child,” the statement said.
“He will be sorely missed by his teachers and fellow students,” it continued. “We also stand in solidarity with the family of Alfa’s friend, Garrett Warren. While he was not a student, we understand that this is a difficult time for his community as well and share our prayers with them.”
Source: New York Post
