WHITE LAKE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The father of a 16-year-old boy who was found dead in an Oakland County pond Sunday says his son died amid a “childish prank” gone wrong, leaving a huge hole in the family.
At about 10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, divers recovered the body of 16-year-old Joe Paduchowski from a small pond in the area of Highland Road and Maple Heights Drive in White Lake Township. Authorities believe the teen fell into the water as he was fleeing from police earlier that day.
At around 2 a.m. Sunday, White Lake Township police were called to a Tractor Supply Co. store in that area due to alarms being set off. Upon arrival, an officer saw Paduchowski and another unidentified male climbing down from the roof of the building.
Both of them fled from police on foot. The unidentified male was quickly apprehended, police said, but Paduchowski fled into a wooded area nearby the store. Law enforcement and canines searched the area, but did not immediately find the 16-year-old.
Later, the Paduchowski family reported their son missing when he failed to return home. Police searched near the property, but didn’t locate the boy.
Later in the day, law enforcement used a small sonar device to look into the water of a small pond located just beside the Tractor Supply store. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said officials saw something in the water and sent in a dive team, who located Paduchowski’s body.
You can see footage of the scene in the video report above.
The boy’s father, Randy Paduchowski, told Local 4 that the horrific situation was a prank gone wrong.
“Our son was a great kid. This was nothing more than a childish prank by two kids that should have never been out on the streets at this time,” the father said. “The only thing I don’t regret about this whole horrible tragedy is that I was able to tell my son that I loved him and that I was proud of him before he walked out the door to go spend the night at his friend’s house. Unfortunately that doesn’t fill the giant whole left in our hearts and our family.”
While emailing with Local 4′s Shawn Ley, Randy Paduchowski offered some additional information about his son. The boy was apparently a junior at Lakeland High School, and was a proud member of the varsity football team, which became a “second family” to the Paduchowskis.
“He was a host at a local restaurant for the last two years and he had the biggest heart of any kid you’ll ever meet,” Randy Paduchowski said of his son. “He just got his license back in March and he used to go pick his friends up to drive them places. His loss has left an indescribable hole in our hearts and souls.”
The boy’s death is under investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.