Two N.C. Teens Drown: Boat Capsized

SHELBY, N.C. --

Emergency crews searched for hours Sunday afternoon for two teenagers who drowned after their boat capsized in a Cleveland County pond.

Deputies said the search was difficult because the water in the private two and a half acre pond was very muddy and murky after the recent rainfall.

Justin Bourgeois was with the teens in the moments before they went under. "I kept yelling grab the boat," Bourgeois said.

Bourgeois' boots were still soaked after diving into the pond to try to save his friends. He told Eyewitness News earlier in the afternoon, he quickly realized being in the boat wasn't a good idea. He said, "I noticed there was a hole in the boat."

Bourgeois convinced his friends to go back to the shore. Bourgeois said he and one of the victim's girlfriends got out of the boat and stayed on shore.

He said his friends Justin and Dewayne insisted on going back into the water against his warnings. Minutes later, Bourgeois heard the teens screaming for help.

"I ran down there and the next thing I know I see the boat go up and over." He said, "I didn't see them. All I saw was the water splashing around, the boat flopping around."

Bourgeois said he dived in, realizing his friends could not swim. He said, "I tried to flip the boat over hoping I could find them."

Overwhelmed, Bourgeois swam back to shore and ran for help. Firefighters, deputies, and a professional dive team from Charlotte swarmed the pond to search for the teens. Crews found their bodies just before 6 p.m.

Bourgeois said, "To be honest with you, I would have rather been on the boat than them because I know how to swim."

The teenagers bodies were taken to the Cleveland County Medical Examiners office for an autopsy.

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