MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Christoph Kimker, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Roxbury Police Chief Dean Adone, and Wharton Police Chief David Young announce the drownings of two persons at the Mine Hill Beach.
On Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 5:23 p.m., Morris County EMS was in the parking lot of Mine Hill Beach, 100 Green Road in Mine Hill.
EMS personnel were approached by a group who stated that two individuals went into the water at the sand pits and never came out. The subjects were identified as 17 and 22-year-old Hispanic males.
Morris County EMS immediately contacted the Morris County Communications Center to alert police, fire, and EMS, and an immediate search of the area was conducted that was met with negative results.
The following agencies were immediately deployed to the area: Wharton Police Department; Mine Hill Fire Department; Morris County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Unit; Morris County Prosecutors Office; Morris County Office of Emergency Management; Roxbury Police Department; and Randolph Police Department. An intensive search of the lake area where the subjects were last seen was immediately commenced using divers from responding police and EMS personnel, however, the search was complicated due to tangled vegetation below the water surface.
After hours of searching, one body recovered, and a second body recovered. Additional identifying information is pending further investigation and notification to family members, and will not be released at this time.
The following agencies assisted in the search: Roxbury Fire Department; Parsippany Rescue and Recovery; Picatinny Arsenal Fire Department; Boonton Fire Department; Rockaway Fire Department; East Hanover Fire PD; Bergen County Search and Rescue; Saint Clare’s EMS; Morris County EMS; Rockaway First Aid; Lyndhurst Fire Department/Dive Team; Wallington Fire Department/Dive Team; Ringwood Fire Department/Dive Team; Mahwah Fire Department/Dive Team; NJSP North Star Helicopter; Wykoff Fire Department/Dive Team; and Oradell Fire Department/Dive Team.
