The frantic search for a missing 10-year-old girl ended in tragedy when her body was recovered from the Passaic River in New Jersey on Friday evening. The discovery came after an intense two-day search that had gripped the local community and left her family waiting in anguish .
The Tragic Incident
The nightmare began on Wednesday night when three children—all under the age of 11—were playing near the edge of the rain-swollen Passaic River in Passaic, New Jersey, about a dozen miles west of Manhattan . According to Mayor Hector C. Lora, the children were standing on a concrete boat launch ramp at Dundee Island Park when they appeared to lose their footing . The water’s surface looked deceptively calm, but a strong undercurrent swept two of the children away .
The three children had attended elementary school together in Garfield, New Jersey, across the river from where the tragedy unfolded . The park where they had gone to play includes a playground, soccer fields, and walking paths—a place that should have been safe.
The Rescue and Discovery
The body of one child—a 10-year-old boy—was discovered just hours after the children entered the water on Wednesday night . The third child, an 11-year-old girl who is the sister of the boy who died, was rescued from the water’s edge. Remarkably, she appeared to have been inadvertently shoved back toward the shoreline by her brother . The mayor described the boy’s actions as unintentionally saving her life, noting that she is “obviously distraught” over the loss .
For two days, divers searched a nine-mile stretch of the river from Passaic to Newark, using cadaver dogs and sonar equipment in their desperate attempt to locate the missing girl . The search was emotionally taxing for all involved. “These divers, these firefighters and police, they’re also parents,” Mayor Lora said .
A Heartbreaking Discovery
It was around 6 p.m. on Friday when the 10-year-old girl’s body was finally found near the river’s Market Street Bridge. The discovery was made by a couple living in an overlooking apartment who spotted the remains in the water .
Mayor Lora confirmed that the girl’s mother had been waiting by the river throughout the ordeal. “Today brought a little bit of closure,” he said .
Heavy rain earlier in the week had caused the river to swell, with water levels reaching approximately 15 feet deep at the time of the incident . A man had entered the water in an attempt to save the children, but it was already too late—the water was up to the man’s chest .
Community Mourning
A memorial for the children has been set up on a bridge just downstream from where they were swept into the river. According to Mayor Lora, it continued to grow with flowers, notes, and stuffed animals through Friday evening . The names of the children who died have not been released by authorities as the community grapples with the devastating loss of two young lives .
