Authorities say a Buffalo teenager has drowned in the Niagara River while trying to save his 7-year-old sister after she slipped into the water.
The 17-year-old boy has been identified as Mustafa Ismail. Ismail jumped into the river Monday afternoon as his younger sister was being carried away by the swift current off Squaw Island.
The teen managed to get the girl to shore where two older sisters were standing, but he was swept down river.
The 13-year-old sister jumped into the water to help her brother, but she also struggled against the current. That's when fisherman Leonard Stevens jumped into the water.
Stevens rescued the 13-year-old but the boy disappeared under the surface.
The Buffalo Police Underwater Recovery Team pulled the teen from the waters about 45 minutes later. The incident happened just after 3 p.m. south of the International Bridge in the city's Black Rock section.
Ismail was rushed by Rural Metro to ECMC where he passed away.