A teen is being hailed a hero after he drowned trying to rescue his younger brother from chasing a football in a river.
Amari Quarles, 15, died on Sunday when he was with his family at Sand Cove Park along the Sacramento River in Northern California.
The teen went into the water to help his 13-year-old brother, Elijah, who was struggling after a football in the fast-moving current.
It was at that moment that Amari heroically attempted to rescue Elijah but also found himself in trouble.
Witnessing her sons in distress, their mother, Yolanda Sashe, also jumped in to help.
The situation quickly worsened as they all faced strong currents that even rescue crews struggled against.
"I see them and their heads are just bobbing on the water," Yolanda said.
"Them sitting there, I knew they were in distress. And it was nothing. No question to be asked. You gotta go get them. That's it."
The grieving mum said the situation turned "really bad very fast" and said the water thrashed them back and forth, making it hard to fight the current.
"You cannot fight. You can't go against the current… It drags you down," she added.
The teenager was found dead a few hours later and his body was recovered from the river near Sacramento's Willowcreek neighbourhood by the Sacramento Police Department.
His family have started a GoFundMe fundraiser to cover the funeral costs, with the page already raising more than $20,000.
Amari's father, James said he was proud of his son.
"I’m so proud of what he did," wrote the grieving dad.
"Amari was a straight A student in Natomas High School and we just moved to California to be around family.
"This was an unexpected tragedy."
James also described Amari as "a wonderful son, brother, nephew, grandson, and cousin", highlighting his heroic nature.
He mentioned that Amari had lived in New York for most of his life and expressed the will to bring him back home so that those who loved him throughout his life could bid him farewell.
Authorities have advised people to stay away from waterways and wear life jackets due to the cold and fast-running water.
