Met Police say they tried to rescue drowning Clapton teen

Police have said officers attempted to rescue a teenager before his body was recovered in the River Lea on Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, police said despite trying to rescue Jack Susianta, 17, including an officer entering the water - who himself had to be assisted by a canoeist - the attempt failed.

Police had been called just after 3pm to a Clapton address, by Jack’s family who were concerned for his welfare.

Officers attended the location, but Jack had left the house by smashing a window prior to police arrival.

Officers conducted a search of the surrounding area and at 3:50pm somebody was seen on Hackney Marshes matching his description.

On seeing the police he ran off and entered the canal on Lea Bridge Road.

Jack was thrown a life aid but he disappeared under the water.

An officer then entered the canal in an attempt to rescue him.

The police officer was assisted and returned to the bank by a member of the public on a kayak.

A police helicopter, dog units, the Marine Policing Unit and the London Fire Brigade collaborated to conduct a search of the canal and surrounding areas and the London Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

At about 5:20pm Jack’s body was retrieved from the water by the Marine Policing Unit.

A post mortem will be carried out.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has confirmed they will be investigating the incident.

Met Commander for East London, Lucy D’Orsi, said: “Officers first tried to use a life aid and throw lines to him before an officer, who then needed assistance himself, entered dangerous water to try and safe Jack’s life. Met divers also entered the water in a rescue operation to try and save Jack.

“When police have been involved in an incident where someone has died we must refer ourselves to the Independent Police Complaints Commission so they can look at the circumstances of what has happened. We have done this and this means that the detail and context around what exactly happened and the actions that were taken may take time to come out.

“My colleagues across London deal with high risk situations everyday, putting themselves at risk and running to things that most would run from. It’s not easy for them or their families and therefore when judged I believe they deserve to be judged fairly.”