PASSAIC, N.J. (AP) — A boy died and a second child was missing after the two 10-year-olds went into a rain-swollen river while playing in a park in Passaic, New Jersey, authorities said.
A third child in the water, age 11, survived. The local mayor said her life might have been saved by her brother, the 10-year-old who drowned.
“As he was going under, he pushed her and she ended up by the rocks and she climbed up,” Passaic Mayor Hector Lora told reporters Wednesday night. “She’s alive right now.”
The other 10-year-old, a girl, was still missing early Thursday. Multiple boats and divers searched the river.
“The families really need your prayers and your support,” Lora said early Thursday in a video on Facebook.
No names have been released.
The three children were seen in the Passaic River in Pulaski Park. It wasn’t immediately clear how they ended up in river, which was higher than usual because of heavy rainfall in the region, police in neighboring Paterson said. Firefighters in that community had rescued about 20 people who became trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters.
Lora said that first responders got calls at about 6:20 p.m. and a man in the park tried to rescue the children before they arrived.
“He went in about 5 meters deep (16.4 feet) and when he got too deep and the current was pushing him away, he could not reach them,” Lora said. “The gentleman expressed to us his obvious pain and hurt.”
Rescuers used sonar technology to search the river.
The river flows about 80 miles (129 kilometers) through forest land and suburbs before entering more urban areas and emptying into Newark Bay. Passaic is about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of New York City.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
