Search of Passaic River in N.J. continues after boy's body found and little girl still missing
Families and search crews returned to the Passaic River Friday in a desperate search to find a missing 10-year-old girl.
Police say the girl and two other children were swept into the river while playing near a boat ramp Wednesday night. An 11-year-old girl survived, and authorities recovered the body of a 10-year-old boy.
We've learned that all three children attended the same elementary school together. The 11-year-old graduated from Elementary School 6 just this year. The mayor said all the children are from Garfield, but one family has ties to Passaic. Their names have not been released.
The family of the 10-year-old who is still missing is overwhelmed with grief and is looking for answers. Search and rescue teams have been searching the water for three days. There was a poignant moment Friday as family members gathered with roses to honor the missing girl.
A friend of the missing girl's family said they felt helpless as they watched the search efforts expand from Passaic to Wallington and to Rutherford.
Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said crews have been searching along a 9-mile stretch of the river using boats, sonar and drones. Lora is calling the effort a recovery operation, but says the missing girl's family is praying for a miracle.
"They are beginning to understand that this is a recovery operation. They are extremely hurt, but they are thankful for everyone, and the families have bonded together," Lora said.
Cadaver dogs continue to comb the Passaic River, trying to pick up the girl's scent. That means fewer boats out in the water.
"The river water must be still in order to make it conclusive for the cadaver dogs to try and pick up a scent as they go by slowly," Lora said.
There's a small memorial now on a bridge near the boat ramp where the tragedy occurred.
"On this ramp, you can kind of walk very close to the river and think you're secure, and in an instant you can drop, and you can be under five feet of water, especially when we had a week with so much rain in the city of Passaic," Lora said.
"This is very upsetting, because I am a mom and I take my son at 15 - he's almost 16 - and I still go with him to the park, just to be on the safe side," Urszula Irizarry said.
"Hope that they just get her and bring her back to us," Clifton resident Alfred Dicker Jr. said. "Wait and pray and let God handle the rest, so these guys can do their job and bring her back to us."
"She was just at Thanksgiving dinner last time I seen her. She was just a bundle of joy to be around," said relative Darrel Meggins.
Lora said the girl's parents are grateful to the public for their support.
The search on the water will continue through Friday evening, and Lora said they'll monitor the riverbank overnight and respond to calls if anyone sees something.
