Latest news with #RontaeLester
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
State and local leaders looking to prevent future tragedies following 12-year-old's drowning death
The drowning death of a 12-year-old Washington County boy who was swimming with friends in the Monongahela River earlier this month has prompted local and state leaders to take action to prevent any future tragedies. The Donora mayor and a county commissioner believe the accidental drowning death of Rontae Lester was preventable. Local and state leaders have channeled their grief for the loss of Lester into a lifesaving mission to spread awareness about the dangers of swimming in the river and to implement safety measures so this tragedy doesn't happen to another family. "No family should have to go through this," said Donora Mayor Donnie Pavelko. "I just can't fathom it. It's heart-wrenching." News of Lester's death has sent shockwaves through the small community of Donora. "With the help of everybody, we may be able to solve this problem for good," Pavelko said. Just days after Lester's death, a conversation among local and state leaders on how to make the area safer and prevent future tragedies began. Topics included providing water safety education in schools that would teach students about the hidden dangers, like river currents. "People don't realize that these lakes and creeks that we have are dangerous, and just because it's not an ocean or a river doesn't mean we don't need water safety," said Washington County Commissioner Electra Janis. Another important area that's lacking, Commissioner Janis says, is signage. There are no warning signs in the area where Lester and his friends were swimming. She believes those would make kids hopefully think twice before getting in the water. "It's an inviting area. It doesn't look dangerous. It looks fun. I expect those to be up in a matter of days," Janis said. Leaders are also exploring ways to keep kids away from the river altogether by providing other fun activities and opportunities when the weather is hot, like a splash pad. "There's state funding available, the county wants to participate as well. It's just a matter of finding a location that's conducive so the parents to be able to walk there. What I really love about the splash pad is that they're safe and you cannot drown." Commissioner Janis encourages community members to reach out to her office with any ideas to improve safety at the river's access point.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- CBS News
Friends attempted to save 12-year-old boy who drowned in Monongahela River
New information has emerged after a 12-year-old boy drowned in the Monongahela River in Donora over the weekend. Some of his friends tried to save his life. Mom Kristen Sutton considers her 14-year-old son a hero. She says he didn't give it a second thought and bravely attempted to save his friend, Rontae Lester, while they swam. "It broke my heart," Kristen Sutton said. "I'm glad I taught my son that if an incident happens, don't panic, do what you can." Sutton says she got a weird feeling Saturday morning, not long after her son, Jayden, left home with his friends to hang out at the river. She called him to make sure he was okay. When he told her he was on his way home already, she knew something was wrong. "They were swimming, having a good old time, and then, tragic," Sutton said. "By the time they got a chance to look, the older brother was already sucked under the water and taken with the current." Sutton said the boys immediately called 911 when their 12-year-old friend disappeared. Within minutes, rescue operations began. Hours later, crews found the child along the riverbed near East First Street. Sutton says she's still in shock. "My kids grew up by the river. They knew the dangers, they knew what to look for, what not to look for," Sutton said. Sutton says she wishes more parents would educate their children on water safety. Even though her kids know how to swim, she says this is a prime example of how river currents are so strong that they can carry away even the most experienced swimmers. "I'm definitely hesitant now, for sure, to send my child down by the river by himself," Sutton said. "From now on, life jackets. You don't know if the current is strong that day. You don't know. You don't know if it's not. If it's fast, slow. You just don't know." Lester went to school in the Ringgold School District. Officials told KDKA-TV that grief counselors would be available Monday to talk with the students.
CBS News
18-05-2025
- CBS News
12-year-old boy who drowned in Monongahela River remembered for soft-spoken nature, polite personality
The 12-year-old boy who drowned in the Monongahela River in Donora on Saturday is being remembered for his soft-spoken nature and polite personality. Rontae Lester was swimming with friends in the river on Saturday when his friends lost sight of him. His body was found in the river hours later after an extensive search. In close-knit Donora, it was not hard to find someone who knew Rontae. "I wanted to cry," said Dennis Hawkins Jr., whose son is a cousin of Rontae. "It's a tragedy for the whole community. I know the kids will probably be mourning the loss at school." Hawkins' kids loved going over to Rontae's house, Hawkins said. "He was probably one of the politest kids you would ever know," Hawkins said. "Soft-spoken, loved to play video games, cared for his younger siblings." His son would even at times cut Rontae's hair. "One thing that stood out for me, whenever he had long hair, he was like a Cherokee Indian, like his hair was freaking awesome," Hawkins said. "He was an awesome kid." Hawkins recalled how he said that too many kids and adults have died in the river over the years. He suggested the city needs to find a way to monitor kids down by the river, perhaps with a security camera. "Maybe, too, it'll open up eyes for parents to be more responsible and know where their children are, having a safe space versus just running around," Hawkins said. He doesn't blame Rontae's family. Instead, he said, for generations, kids have played in the river unsupervised, including him as a kid, explaining it as a cultural issue. "I would say everyone just wraps around the family," Hawkins said. "Hopefully, this tragedy doesn't happen again." Rontae had a bright life ahead of him, Hawkins said. One where he could have changed the future of Donora for the better.
