A 10-year-old boy’s body was recovered from New Jersey’s Passaic River as divers continue searching for a 10-year-old girl, while his 11-year-old sister who escaped recounts how he saved her life.
Three children fell into the water Wednesday evening around 6:21 p.m. near Pulaski Park in Passaic, leaving one dead, one safe, and one still unaccounted for.
The boy’s 11-year-old sister managed to escape, but her 10-year-old friend remains missing.
According to the mayor’s account based on his conversations with the surviving sister, events unfolded quickly.
“As of right now, what we have are indications that they were near the riverbank by the ramp, and they ended up in the water. Within seconds of being in the water, they were identified by children from across the river who called 911 immediately,” Lora said.
Mayor Lora says the boy may have saved his sister’s life, explaining “the little boy may have saved” his sister’s life, noting “As he was going under, he pushed her, and she ended up by the rocks, so she climbed out.”
The surviving girl’s account through the mayor was particularly poignant.
“She expressed that they were in the water, they were trying to get out, she got out at a different point not too far from here – she is back with her mother and she’s worried about her brother as well as the friend that was with them,” Lora said.
The heroic attempt by an adult witness added another layer to the tragedy.
A man in the park jumped into the water to try and save them but when he was about five meters deep, it was too deep and the current pushed him away and he could not reach them.
Environmental factors had created dangerous conditions.
Passaic Mayor Hector Lora says the river’s water level was higher than usual due to Tuesday’s storms.
Rescue teams responded immediately and extensively.
More than two dozen marine units from multiple agencies converged on the scene within minutes, officials say.
In an update late Wednesday night, the mayor said the body of a 10-year-old boy was recovered around 10 p.m., and the 10-year-old girl was still missing.
The boy was located approximately 30 to 50 feet from where the children entered the water, the mayor said.
The shift in the operation’s focus came quickly.
Speaking to reporters at the scene Wednesday night, Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said the operation had shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission after the boy’s body was found.
Lora acknowledged the grave conditions affecting search efforts.
“Divers are now taking some risk but they are committed to trying to find this little girl and bring some answers to the family,” the mayor said.
In earlier interviews, Lora expressed the emotional weight of the moment.
“Any parent would be there extremely concerned, but we are holding out with hope. We are praying. We have faith. Our police officers, our firefighters are doing everything that they can to locate these children. There’s one that came out,” Lora said.
Lora said he met with the children’s families as the search continued, noting “As you can imagine, they are distraught, any parent would be… we are holding out hope… Our police and fire departments are doing everything they can to locate these children.”
Multiple agencies joined the operation with specialized equipment.
Search crews from Passaic, Bergen County, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, and other surrounding agencies remained on the river using boats, drones, and dive teams as they searched for the missing girl.
In the viral moment that preceded this development, the boy and girl had ventured into the water with the older girl near the boat ramp area. All three were immediately swept in, but the 11-year-old managed to reach nearby rocks and climb to safety while her younger brother and their friend struggled in the swift current. The boy’s final act of pushing his sister toward safety became the centerpiece of Lora’s description of the incident to reporters and the public, a heroic gesture even as he himself was overwhelmed by the river’s power.
Search crews will resume operations at the Passaic River at 9 a.m.