Latest news with #BrandonPino
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Man's body recovered from East River amid search for 2 teens feared drowned
A body of a man in his 30s was found floating in the East River early Friday as cops continue to search for the remains of two people feared drowned last week, officials said. NYPD Harbor Unit officers were called to the waters near the Brooklyn Bridge just after 6 a.m., where they found the unidentified person floating in the current. The body was brought to Pier 16 in lower Manhattan. Cops said the victim appeared to be a man in his 30s, but an autopsy needed to be conducted to determine the victim's identity. Cops on Friday were still looking for the remains of Brandon Pino, the high school senior who jumped off the Staten Island Ferry last weekend. The 17-year-old Port Richmond boy left a goodbye note on Instagram before taking the 9:30 a.m. ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan on Saturday, his family says. Police were also still searching for a 15-year-old girl who went into the East River off Randalls Island and never resurfaced on May 30.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Daily Mail
New York family's desperate search for teenage boy who vanished into busy harbor after posting haunting final message
A New York City family is desperately searching for a teenage boy who jumped from a ferry after posting a haunting final message. Brandon Pino, 17, had taken to Instagram to write a farewell message to his followers and sent worrying texts to his friends before he jumped off the Staten Island Ferry around 9:45am on Saturday. He was last seen swimming near Governor's Island by a witness, who reported his fall to the ferry crew as it docked at Manhattan's Whitehall Terminal. Police search-and-rescue crews descended on the gray waters between Staten Island and the heart of the city, ultimately unable to find the high school senior. The search was called off around 6pm. But the Pino family hasn't, his sister told the Daily Mail. 'We're all taking turns,' said Cathleen Pino before criticizing the New York Police Department, which she said is just 'waiting for a body to resurface.' 'They're not giving it the importance [it deserves],' the mother-of-two told said. An NYPD spokesperson told the Daily Mail that its Harbor Unit continues to search for Brandon daily. The department said it also deployed a scuba team, Emergency Services Unit, and aviation unit after the call came in. 'The search and investigation remains ongoing,' the spokesperson said. The Pino family is on foot, on boat, and in cars searching high and low for the teen, desperate for any sign of him as they hold out on hope he survived, Cathleen explained. So far, they've spent at least $400 on EZ-Pass tolls, as well as on ferry tickets. They've even been looking into chartering a boat to search the waters. Cathleen insisted that the largest police force in the US isn't giving Brandon's case the 'attention he deserves.' 'He's a person, he's a teen,' said the sister, who lived with Brandon. 'For my brother, it was just a few hours... In the important times, they didn't do what they needed to do. 'We're doing what they should be.' On Saturday, the Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School senior had visited his uncle around 7am before taking the 9:30am ferry from St. George Ferry Terminal to Manhattan, his sister said. Brandon's jump came after he posted on Instagram, announcing to his followers that it was 'my last day on earth' and made a post about mental health awareness. The young teen was also texting a group of friends prior to jumping, worrying them. Leading up to the leap, Cathleen said there were no signs her brother was in distress. The last time she had seen Brandon was when she picked him up from school. She had offered to buy him food, but he opted to make some at home as he preferred eating healthy. They talked about graduation plans and summer outings they were planning to take. Nothing seemed abnormal. Now, her house feels empty and her two young children keep asking about their uncle. Cathleen has opted to not tell them about what happened, but they're beginning to ask questions, she revealed. 'We holding back tears,' she said. 'It's very hard to hold back tears. We don't have peace.' The family does not plan to hold a funeral for the young boy until his body is found, per his mother's request. As for if they believe the teen survived the fall, Cathleen said the tight-knit family is praying he did. 'We have hope,' she said. The family has started a GoFundMe to help continue their search. Cathleen called her brother as a very caring and patient person who had dreams of being a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and planned on going to nursing school. 'He was always very caring,' she said. 'He was a very smart, caring person with an amazing future ahead of him. 'He was loved, so loved.' If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Teenager leaps to death from busy NYC ferry after leaving haunting final message for family
A New York City teenager leaped to his death off the side of the Staten Island Ferry after leaving a haunting final message to his family. Brandon Pino, 17, of Staten Island, was spotted jumping off the busy ferry around 9:45am on Saturday as the boat was approaching Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan. A witness told the ferry crew about the teen's leap after it docked in Manhattan. The Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School senior had visited his uncle around 7am before taking the 9:30am ferry from St. George Ferry Terminal to Manhattan, his sister, Cathleen Pino, 27, told The New York Daily News. The suicide attempt came after Brandon posted on Instagram, announcing to his followers that it was 'my last day on earth.' 'And then he also made a post about mental health awareness. Hashtag mental health awareness,' the distraught mother said. The young teen was also texting a group of friends prior to jumping overboard, worrying them. 'In one of those messages he wishes his friends a farewell, telling them to stay true to themselves and that he loves them,' Cathleen said. 'And then he sent a picture that he was on the ferry, on the outer part of the ferry, looking towards the water.' Police called for a search for Brandon, but the search ended around 6pm on Saturday. Despite that, the family has continued to search for the student. 'We're doing our own search with family members,' she told the outlet. 'We are going along Jersey City, Battery Park, Brooklyn, just looking around the borders. 'We've gone on Governors Island yesterday [Sunday] and we're doing it again today [Monday].' The family is hoping to at least find Brandon's body to allow his mother to have a proper burial for her son. 'We want help to see if there can be more attention, so to see if they can actually do at least a recovery, for my mom to get some type of closure,' she shared. The family has contacted local hospital in hopes of learning Brandon survived the jump after a radio transmission stated 'he was swimming' after the fall, according to the Staten Island Advance. Prior to Saturday, Brandon had been acting normally and even seemed happier than usual, Cathleen told The Daily News. '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,' she said. 'His friends told me that they had seen that he was more happy than usual at school lately.' However, like many teens, Brandon worried about his body and had told friends he felt pressure to 'be a certain weight or look a specific way,' Cathleen said. has reached out the Pino family and NYPD for comment. A day before, a 15-year-old girl who was not identified allegedly jumped into the East River near Roosevelt Island, vanishing around lunchtime, according to NBC New York. She was last seen wearing a floral bathing suit while sitting on rocks near the water, The Daily News reported. Officers found a bag with books, a jacket, and sneakers near the water that they believe belonged to the girl. Both teens remain missing as of Tuesday morning.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Teen posted Instagram farewell before leaping from Staten Island Ferry: family
A 17-year-old high school senior left a goodbye note on Instagram and said farewell to his friends via group text before jumping off the Staten Island Ferry, his distraught sister said Sunday. The NYPD has been searching the waters of New York harbor for Brandon Pino since he jumped about 9:45 a.m. on Saturday as the ferry approached the southern tip of Manhattan, cops said. Brandon's sister Cathleen Pino reached out to the Daily News because her family hopes public attention will lead to her sibling's recovery. 'We're doing our own search with family members. We are going along Jersey City, Battery Park, Brooklyn, just looking around the borders,' said Cathleen, adding that she hasn't gotten any updates from authorities. 'We've gone on Governors Island yesterday and we're doing it again today.' Brandon, a senior at Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School on Staten Island, went to his uncle's house on Staten Island about 7 a.m. on Saturday, then headed for the 9:30 a.m. boat from the St. George Ferry Terminal, not telling anyone, his sister said. 'He had posted on his Instagram,' she said. 'It was saying, 'My last day on Earth.' And then he also made a post about mental health awareness. Hashtag mental health awareness,' his sister said. He was texting a group of friends, who started getting increasingly worried, just before he jumped overboard, she said. A witness notified the ferry crew after it docked in Manhattan, she said. Police searched the waters, but called off the search at about 6 p.m., the sister said. Brandon lived with his mom and two older sisters in Port Richmond, and his nieces and nephews looked up to him because of his commitment to fitness. 'His friends told me that they had seen that he was more happy than usual at school lately,' Cathleen said. 'And 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.' Still, she said, his friends said he'd express worries about his body, 'to be a certain weight or look a specific way.' One of his classmates had recently died by suicide, she added. 'We want help to see if there can be more attention, so to see if they can actually do at least a recovery, for my mom to get some type of closure, so she can bury her son,' she said.
