Watch CBS News

Best Friend Mourns Teen Who Drowned In Worcester Pond

WORCESTER (CBS) - Omari Hector was only 13 years old and now it is hard for his best friend to believe he is really gone.

"I thought it was someone else and not him I thought they got the wrong person," Tommy Vanasse, Omari's best friend said.

But Tommy Vanasse soon had to face the truth, it was him; Omari was pulled from the water on the Fourth of July and passed away the next morning at the hospital.

Omari Hector
Omari Hector (WBZ-TV)

"It's heartbreaking. No parent should ever lose their child. I feel for the family very, very much. It's very sad. Everybody should give their children a hug and squeeze at night and tell your children you love them," Dennis Vanasse, Tommy's father, explained.

Omari came to Bell Pond in Worcester after the lifeguards had already left.

"Just a really, really good kid," he added.

Those who loved Omari know just how big his heart was.

Tommy Vanasse
Tommy Vanasse (WBZ-TV)

"Just a really nice person, everyone he knew, he would try his best to make people laugh," said Tommy Vanasse. "Whenever one of his friends was upset about something he would try his best to make his friends happy."

Even though Omari is gone, he will live in Tommy's heart.

"I miss him a lot and all my friends and his friends miss him a lot. I will just always remember him how he was," he said.

Now Tommy and his father have made a GoFundMe account to try to give Omari the funeral he deserves.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.