A search resumed Thursday, July 30, for a 10-year-old girl who remains missing after she and two other children, including a now-deceased 10-year-old boy, entered the Passaic River in northern New Jersey.
The boy’s body was recovered around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, several hours after emergency crews were called to the river near Pulaski Park and Dundee Island Park in Passaic, according to Passaic Mayor Hector Lora. Authorities continued searching overnight and planned to resume water operations Thursday morning if conditions required crews to pause overnight efforts.
An 11-year-old girl made it safely out of the river, the New Jersey Bergen Record, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. According to her account, her 10-year-old brother may have saved her life by pushing her toward safety before he went under the water, CBS News reported.
Investigators are still working to determine how the three children ended up in the river. Lora said officials’ priority remains locating the missing girl and supporting the children’s families.
Search shifts to recovery effort
The body of the 10-year-old boy was found about 30 feet from where the children entered the river, officials said. As crews continued searching for the missing girl, the operation shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery effort.
“We are asking everyone to send their prayers out to the family,” Lora said in a statement on Wednesday.
More than two dozen marine units from local, county and state agencies responded to the scene. Search teams used boats, dive teams, sonar equipment and drones to comb the river.
Bill Maer of the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office said the Passaic Fire Department is leading the operation with assistance from multiple agencies, including the sheriff’s scuba team and other emergency responders from Bergen and Passaic counties.
USA TODAY contacted the Passaic Fire Department on July 30 for additional information about the search effort.
Good Samaritan tried to save children
According to Lora, a man at the park jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue the children but was unable to reach them because of the river’s depth and swift current.
As emergency crews searched through the night, community members gathered along the riverbanks with flashlights, hoping to help locate the missing girl.
“We can’t sleep. We’re anticipating the news on what’s going on with this little girl. It’s breaking our hearts to not know what’s happening, and we’re just hoping for the best,” one resident told CBS New York.
River remained dangerous after heavy rain
The search came one day after authorities warned that the Passaic River remained swollen following heavy rainfall.
Earlier Wednesday, the Paterson Police Department cautioned residents that the river was still high and that fast-moving water continued to pose danger in low-lying areas.
Local fire departments assisting with the search also urged the public to avoid the area while emergency operations remained underway.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on X @athompsonUSAT