Hoang's younger brother, David, said his brother left Sunday with friends for a road trip to New Jersey but had stopped in Chicago for a quick visit. Police said they learned from the lone survivor that Hoang was taking photos of the icy Chicago River about 12:05 a.m. Monday when he dropped his cellphone onto the ice, stepped down to retrive it and fell into the water. His two companions, a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man, stepped onto the ice to try to assist him but fell in as well.