REVEALED: Tragic reason high schoolers aged 15 and 17 leaped off bridge into South Carolina lake before drowning – as their deadly group chat is revealed
Two high school students are believed to have jumped from a South Carolina bridge into a lake before drowning because they were apparently challenged by friends in a group chat.
Ryan Al-Nasser, 16, and Zakaria Chaar, 15, were both students at Daniel High School in Pickens County, South Carolina.
Local police claim the pair were in group chats with friends and challenged them to jump from the Twelve Mile River Bridge into Lake Hartwell.
The lake was the site of a tragic accidental drowning of an 18-year-old last July 4.
The boys, both sophomores, apparently took their friends to the test and jumped off the bridge on Saturday.
Ryan Al-Nasser (pictured left), 16, and Zakaria Chaar (pictured right), 15, were both students at Daniel High School in Central. It is believed they jumped from a bridge in South Carolina into a lake before drowning because they were apparently challenged by friends in a group chat
Police were informed around 10:30 PM on Saturday by a person who called 911 saying he had lost his friends.
Police said it appeared one of the boys made the jump while another tried to save him before being swept away by the current of the water.
“Reports from an individual who was on shore sounded like the manner in which he landed was awkward, which may have caused him to be in distress,” said Deputy Chief Chuck James.
He added that one of the boys was in “immediate distress.” A second call was made to 911 reporting that the boys were missing.
Officials searched for two days before the bodies were finally pulled from the water by a local boater at 11 a.m. Monday.
The bodies were found about eight feet apart in fifty feet of water.
James blamed what is apparently a social media challenge and peer pressure for the boys’ deaths.
“TikTok trends or, you know, customs where people are trying to encourage people to jump off bridges or something like that… I mean, it’s just inherently not safe,” he said. Fox Carolina.
Al-Nasser (photo) and Chaar were found dead on Monday morning, one and a half meters apart
Local police claim the pair were in group chats with friends and challenged them to jump from the Twelve Mile River Bridge into Lake Hartwell
Police said it appeared one of the boys made the jump while another tried to save him before being swept away by the current of the water.
The bodies were found about eight feet apart in fifty feet of water
The Pickens County School District, where Daniel High School is located, called it a “profound tragedy.”
“We ask for privacy and respect for the families as they navigate this unimaginable loss. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.”
They added that counseling is available at the high school for anyone who needs it.