Teen drowns at New York City beach after mom says he urged lifeguards to save friend

NEW YORK CITY -- A 17-year-old boy who was pulled from the water at Rockaway Beach in Queens on Sunday evening died after being caught in a rip current, leaving his mother clinging to the few belongings he left behind.

Patrice Thompson is still wearing her son's hospital bracelet.

"It's the last thing my son had on," she said.

She also wears his football jersey.

"He was a great football player. They were a great team. They were a great family for me and for him," Thompson said.

She said the memories help her hold onto the good times: when her son, Sir Audley Sykes, was a little boy, the accomplishments they celebrated, junior prom and his big game day smile. Thompson said those moments make her feel like everything "wasn't just ripped away."

"I saw my baby on a stretcher, unresponsive, his heart beating on a machine," she said.

Around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, lifeguards rushed into rough water near Beach 84th Street after two swimmers were spotted struggling. Sykes and his best friend were caught in a rip current at the notoriously dangerous stretch of shoreline.

"Two days after my birthday I had to announce that my son passed away due to drowning," Thompson said.

The incident happened after swimming hours, when lifeguards were no longer in their chairs. They remained in their stations nearby, staying late on especially hot days at the direction of the city. As they moved in to help, Thompson said her son urged them to save his friend first.

"His best friend said he got tired and when he got tired - that's when the lifeguard got to him and he told the lifeguard to go to his friend and my son said, 'no, go and pull my best friend out of the water,'" she said, covering her face with her hands. "He would save someone else before he thought about himself and that's the thing I appreciated about him the most."

Both teenagers were pulled from the water, but only one survived. Sykes was the first person to drown at a New York City beach this summer.

The FDNY had visited Rockaway Beach in late July to teach swimmers how to stay safe in hazardous conditions. Thompson said her son had just left her a birthday gift on her bed, "And I said thank you boo. And he's like, 'no problem mom.'"

"They always say the good die young," Thompson said. "It's gotta be for a reason."