It took less than a few hours Wednesday for a state police marine operations unit and a cadaver dog to recover the body of a 10-year-old boy who was swept up in the Ohio River near Ambridge.

“It was an emotional moment,” Fire Chief Rob Gottschalk said, after spending two days with multiple dive teams searching the water near the Ambridge Sewer Treatment Plant.

Beaver County Coroner David Gabauer identified the victim as Thomas Jett, 10. His death was caused by drowning and ruled accidental.

It was mid-afternoon Monday when Thomas wandered down with a group of friends, ages 8 to 13, to play near the water at the Leetsdale Boat Ramp.

Police said the boy stepped into the water and lost his shoe. He tried to grab it and was pulled into the water, despite attempts by others in the group to save him.

Gottschalk said rescue teams from across the region were relentless in their efforts.

Rescue crews, dive teams and others reached out from across the state, willing to join the search.

“We received numerous calls from groups who offered to help,” he said.

Dive teams from Crescent, Beaver Falls, Murrsyville, Bridgewater, Pittsburgh and Butler spent days in the water.

After grueling efforts with no results, Gottschalk on Tuesday night requested help from the state police marine operations unit in Philadelphia.

They arrived Wednesday morning with sophisticated underwater search equipment and a cadaver dog, he said, which detected a body within an hour.

Once they were in the water, it took less than an hour to locate and recover the victim.

“Whether it is a fire or a drowning, anything with a child hits home with all of us,” said Gottschalk, a fireman for three decades.

“Everybody that was involved kept their wits about them and handled it with the utmost professionalism.”

Gottschalk urged families, particularly with pools being closed because of the covid-19 pandemic, to pay special attention at the river.

“Please be careful. This river is rough and there’s a lot of debris,” he said. “If people are going to swim in the river or a lake or a pond, have an adult with you.”

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