Thousands of mourners rallied to a candlelit vigil in memory of fresher student Tom Jones after a body was found in a river.
Around 3,000 people lined the banks of the River Severn to pay their respects on Sunday night, days after the teenager went missing ‘minutes from his home’.
The event was organised after police searching for the 18-year-old recovered a body from the river in Worcester. Formal identification had not yet taken place.
The vigil, arranged by Thomas’s close friend Harley Hetherington, saw thousands singing on Sabrina Bridge, Worcester, where dozens of candles and bouquets of flowers were left in remembrance.
Thousands of mourners rallied to a candlelit vigil in memory of fresher student Tom Jones after a body was found in a river
The vigil, arranged by Thomas’s close friend Harley Hetherington, saw thousands (pictured) singing on Sabrina Bridge, Worcester, where dozens of candles and bouquets of flowers were left in remembrance
The main bulk of the crowd gathered on the city side of the Sabrina footbridge and lit candles and sang along with a musician who played some of Tom’s favourite songs
Tom (pictured left), a West Bromwich Albion fan from Bromsgrove, vanished after a night out in Worcester – just three days after arriving in the city as a fresher
Grieving friends, family and members of the public waved their phones in the air and sang Oasis’ Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger.
Harley, who had been friends with Tom since they were nine, wrote on the Find Jonah! Facebook page after the vigil.
He said: ‘Thank you all for your attendance tonight. It was a truly special evening that Jonah would’ve loved. I can’t thank you all enough for the support and happiness you all gave.
‘I didn’t expect so many amazing people to come down but it was truly magical to be involved in. We lit up a city tonight, and Tom was smiling down on it.’
Tom, a West Bromwich Albion fan from Bromsgrove, vanished after a night out in Worcester – just three days after arriving in the city as a fresher.
He had been out at Velvet Nightclub before heading to McDonald’s at around 3am on Wednesday, September 19.
West Mercia Police released a statement on Friday. It said: ‘Sadly, officers searching for missing 18-year-old Thomas Jones have recovered a body from the River Severn in Worcester today.
‘Thomas’ next of kin have been informed but as formal identification has not yet taken place, no further details can be released at this time.’
Hundreds of candles and tealights were lit on the bridge in a poignant vigil to Tom, who is thought to be the person found dead in the River Severn last week
Grieving friends, family and members of the public waved their phones in the air and sang Oasis’ Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger
Friends and family gathered along with a large amount of locals who lit candles and sand along to some of Tom’s favourite songs on both sides of the river
Police were forced to close the bridge (pictured) due to the massive turnout leaving many stuck across the river from the main group on the city side