The Fresno County Sheriff's Office confirmed Tuesday that 15-year-old Nixon Quinonez Guerra of San Jose drowned in a river last weekend.
According to a GoFundMe page from an apparent close friend, Guerra dove into the San Joaquin River attempting to rescue a ball from the water, but he never resurfaced.
The friend also gave credit to the sheriff's office and a rescue team for a quick recovery of the body.
A comment under the GoFundMe read, "I am absolutely devastated by hearing this terrible news. Nixon was a such a sweet, kind and amazing kid. As a teacher in Nixon's life, I saw how good of a friend he was and how important he was to the Adelante II community."
In a statement on Facebook, the sheriff's office advised extra caution around waterways as residents become more and more tempted to swim in them with summer temperatures on the rise, saying to "...stay out of the water if you do not know how to swim," and to wear a life jacket, among other tips listed in the post.
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