A man who drowned while trying to save a 5-year old autistic boy from the Hudson River is being called a hero.

Boyce "Scoop" Coleman, 40, died trying to save 5-year-old Stephen Martin from the Hudson River.

Martin's mother Thema says she and her son came to the picnic area near the JFK Marina along the Hudson River Sunday for the annual School Street cookout. She says she asked a friend to watch Stephen while she went to the bathroom. She says her son, who is diagnosed as non-verbal autistic, loves the water and managed to climb over the fence and jump in the river.

The little boy was taken to the hospital. Investigators say he is in stable condition and is expected to survive.

After the boy was rescued, the group noticed that Coleman was missing. A search was quickly launched and included Yonkers police and NYPD divers. Coleman's body was recovered from the river at around 8 p.m. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.