The search for the teen missing after jumping off a rail bridge into the Waikato River was halted this evening, with police to resume searching tomorrow.
The boy, 13-year-old Zharian Watkins, and his friends were jumping off a bridge in the town of Huntly yesterday afternoon.
Watkins friend, Raekwon Morgan, jumped first, and witnesses say Watkins then landed on Morgan as he resurfaced.
About a dozen boys watched on from the bridge.
Morgan needed six stiches to his head, and the boys mother told ONE News he was too traumatised to talk.
But he had described coming up from under the water, and something hitting him. He then saw his friend floating past him, towards the other side of the river.
"That's when he realised he'd lost a good mate," said his mother.
A couple of the boys watching jumped in to try help.
The family say that they were heartened by the number of people from the community who turned out to help with the search.
Theyve vowed to continue the search until they find the boy.
While the police search will continue, Watkins, who was in the first year of high school, is now presumed drowned.
If confirmed, locals told ONE News that this would be the ninth death in ten years as a result of jumping off the bridge.
Sgt Blair Donaldson of the Huntly police told ONE News that schoolchildren have frequently jumped from the bridge.
"They'll come from school, after working in those hot class rooms, and they'll go down and jump into the water."
Police are now asking that no-one jump from the bridge.
"We would love to see some warning signs, even cameras, the family were asking for cameras up that way. Anything is better than nothing."
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