A 10-year-old boy died in New Jersey’s Passaic River on Wednesday evening while attempting to save his sister, as rescue teams continue searching for a third child who is still missing.
The boy, his 11-year-old sister, and a 10-year-old friend entered the water near Pulaski Park shortly after 6:20 p.m. The boy ran into difficulty in the river, and his body was recovered approximately three hours later, according to WABC.
Passaic Mayor Hector Lora stated that the boy was found about 50 feet from where he entered the water. He indicated that the boy may have saved his sister’s life. "In conversing with her, her account, the little boy may have saved her life," Lora said. "As he was going under, he pushed her and she ended up by the rocks, and she climbed out."
The sister managed to exit the river and was reunited with her parents. The third child, a female friend of the siblings, remains missing.
Search and rescue teams, led by the Passaic Fire Department, were deployed to the scene. Boats and scuba dive teams from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office have also joined the effort. The search is being complicated by darkness and high water levels attributed to recent storms, and officials have described it as a recovery mission.
Earlier on Wednesday, Paterson police had issued a warning about the river’s elevated levels. "River levels are expected to crest today before gradually beginning to recede, but flooded roadways and fast-moving water remain dangerous," Paterson Police posted on X. A witness, Lian Rodriguez, told News 12 that the river frequently overflows and the area is prone to flooding. "You would think there would be barriers in place," she said. "This hits close to home."