HOBOKEN--The last image of Andrew Jarzyk is a blur, a poor-quality video of him running along Hoboken's waterfront.

This was his last known location before his disappearance, which launched a month-long search that ultimately ended in the Hudson River. His disappearance galvanized the city and caught the attention of several media outlets. Billboards with pictures of his face sprung up in the area and along major highways. Family and friends canvassed the city, handing out fliers and forming their own search teams.

Jarzyk went missing on March 30, 2014. One month later, officials pulled his body from the Hudson River.

On the first anniversary of the 27-year-old's disappearance, much still remains unclear, including how and why he ended up in the river. Officials ruled out foul play. The medical examiner determined that Jarzyk's death was an accident, that he'd drowned, and intoxication had played a role, said Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Gene Rubino. He would not elaborate on the accident.

"It's still unknown, and it's still a mystery," his younger sister, Lindsey Jarzyk, told NJ Advance Media. "We may just not ever know."

'Salt of the earth'

Jarzyk had only lived in Hoboken for roughly a year before his disappearance. He grew up in Hamilton, N.J., the middle child between his older brother, Steven, and younger sister, Lindsey. He was outgoing, and he tried nearly every sport before focusing on the high school football team, playing as wide receiver at Steinert High School, his sister said. He was also very good with numbers and would often help her with her math homework, she said.

He attended Susquehanna University and graduated in 2009 with a major in finance and financial economics. He was very involved in the Iota-Beta Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon, and served as president of the fraternity's chapter for one year, after serving as the chapter historian.

After college, he moved to Hoboken with some friends from high school. He worked as the relationship manager/assistant vice president at PNC Financial Services Group in Woodland Park. He was an avid fan of Ohio State's basketball and football teams, but loved to golf in his spare time.

High school photo of Andrew Jarzyk

One of his roommates, Michael Dill, said he and Andrew had been best friends since the sixth grade. They had experienced various milestones together: They'd performed in their school's traditional Mr. SHS pageant, interned with Johnson & Johnson and seen three of their best friends get married in the summer of 2013. He described Andrew as a "salt of the earth" kind of guy, someone who cared deeply for his family and his friends.

"Andrew was a person whose intentions you never questioned, whose work ethic you strived to match, whose opinion you valued and whose ability to love and trust others without reservation you admired," he said. "Andrew's a phenomenal friend, and it's hard to believe he's gone."

Mysterious disappearance

On March 30, 2014, Jarzyk left his friends at the West Five Supper Club on Madison Street around 1 a.m. He went to his apartment, a few blocks away on Monroe Street.

"He was his happy self. There was definitely no sign that anything was going to happen," his sister, who had been with him that night, said. "It's a year later, and I can't even fathom how it happened."

A neighbor told police that he'd seen Jarzyk around 1:30 a.m. He saw Jarzyk stand on and then fall off of a shed in the back of the apartment, according to an investigation report provided by Hoboken police. Jarzyk may have been locked out of the apartment and was trying to get to his room from the back, according to the report. Jarzyk appeared "highly intoxicated" and "very apologetic," the neighbor told police.

Jarzyk was later seen in running gear outside his apartment. Police said he'd been training for a marathon. A restaurant's surveillance camera near Fourth and River streets captured Jarzyk jogging south toward Hoboken terminal.

Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante had just started his shift that Sunday afternoon when Jarzyk's family came into the police station. "Missing" people are a weekly occurrence in Hoboken--it comes with the territory, Ferrante said. Boyfriends or roommates don't come home after a night of drinking at city bars, and after worrying their significant others and friends, ultimately turn up somewhere else.

But something seemed different about this case, Ferrante said.

"On that first night, we were totally unsure of what we had, but we knew it was out of the ordinary," he said. "It was a situation that moved a lot of people in the department. Just so many questions about how this happened, why this happened."

Tragedy strikes

Weeks passed without word of Jarzyk's whereabouts. Officials had zeroed in on the Hudson River following the discovery of the surveillance video, but several days of underwater searches were unsuccessful.

One month later, authorities pulled Jarzyk's body from the Hudson River. He was found floating near the southeast area of Hoboken Terminal and was removed by the NYPD Harbor Unit, police said.

At the time, the city drew some criticism for its long-defunct surveillance network, which included 10 non-functional cameras--two of which were on the waterfront. It's not clear if the cameras would have provided additional answers in Jarzyk's disappearance or in subsequent drownings.

As of October, the city had seven reported incidents of people ending up in the Hudson River, three of which ended in drownings, Ferrante said. Two weeks after Jarzyk's disappearance, two more bodies were pulled from the water. Edwin Cruz, 24, jumped in after 20-year-old Elias Serrano, in an attempt to save his friend. Both men drowned.

A year later

The city has been working for several years to replace its surveillance network. The cameras are currently in place in eight locations along the waterfront and should be functional soon, Ferrante said.

In January, Ferrante formed a Waterfront and Parks Unit. Roughly 10 officers patrol the waterfront or parks for 16 hours each day, he said. The unit isn't just in response to incidents involving the river, he said, but as more of a community policing effort. Officers will crack down on drug use and other potential criminal activity in the parks, but also start a bike safety program in the spring.

Jarzyk's family is in the process of creating the Andrew Jarzyk Memorial Foundation. Lindsey Jarzyk said they are still determining what community and nonprofit organizations to support through the foundation. In a nod to one of his hobbies, they are hosting a golf tournament in September.

"He always had a smile on his face," his sister said. "He just really enjoyed every aspect of his life."

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook