Family and friends said their final goodbyes this morning to a beloved 15-year-old boy who drowned in Pennypack Creek last week.
A funeral service for Sebastien Sanon took place Saturday morning at the Saint Timothy Church located at 3001 Levick Street in Philadelphia.
Sanon was with three of his friends near the creek on Frankford Avenue and Ashburner Street last Tuesday. Investigators say Sanon and a friend dipped their feet into the water to cool off when Sanon suddenly slipped and was carried away by the swift current.
Rescue crews searched for several days to find the missing teen. He was found last Saturday in the river near the Quaker City Yacht Club on Princeton Avenue. The Medical Examiner announced that the cause of death was drowning and that it was an accident.
Sebastien’s older sister, Kimberly Sanon, says her brother was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Philadelphia. He was taking classes at Agors Cyber Charter School and dreamed of one day becoming an astronomer.
“I was blessed to witness him grow into such a remarkable young man. He was kind, loyal, and made sure everyone around him was laughing and happy. He appreciated life and loved humanity,” said Sanon.
The teen’s drowning marked the third incident this summer in which a teenager has been swept away in a local creek.
In late July, Dan Tadrzynski and Perry Krewson, both 18, were swimming in the Neshaminy Creek when they were swept away in the fast-moving current. Their bodies were found two days later.
Earlier in July, two brothers jumped into Pennypack Creek and were swept away after a morning of heavy rains. The younger brother, 11, was found clinging to a ledge in the rain-swollen water and rescued. But the older brother, 13-year-old Brandon Boyle, drowned. His body was recovered three weeks later.
"Just like those other victims, the creek took a beautiful boy's life way too soon. Although he is no longer with us his memory will never be forgotten,” said Kimberly Sanon.
Sebastien would have celebrated his 16th birthday on Monday, according to his sister.
