Teen Found Dead After Jumping Into Schuylkill

Girl's body was found near where she went underwater, police say

A teenage girl who went missing after swimming in the Schuylkill River afternoon was found dead.

Princess Aja King skipped school with two friends to take a dip in the river Thursday around 11 a.m., police say.

The three teens were swimming near the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in the Fairmount Park section of the city when something went wrong.

The 15-year-old, who couldn't swim, sank under the water and couldn't be found, police say.

The two boys swimming with King tried to save her, but were unable. Witnesses walking along Kelly Drive also jumped in the river to help.

They wound up pulling the boys ashore, who then fled the scene.

Police divers scoured the murky waters for hours in search of King, but turned up nothing.

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The girl's body was later found in 15-feet of water near the base of the bridge, police say.

Her family says King's loss hurts.

"I want them to know that Princess was a good girl," her aunt Yvonne Gary said. "It hurts because she's young."

Philadelphia Police used King's tragic death as a reminder of how dangerous it is to swim in the river.

"It's very, very dangerous," Chief Insp. Scott Small said. "The current is really strong and there's undercurrents that you don't see." 

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