A mother and her 11-year-old son were found dead Tuesday night in the icy waters of a river in a park in the town of Boonton, New Jersey law enforcement officials said.
A pedestrian called 911 Tuesday at 5:39 p.m. to report that a 6-year-old boy was crying desperately and pleading for his mother at Grace Lord Park, Acting Attorney Robert Carroll said in a joint press conference with the Sheriff’s Office. Morris County James Gannon and Boonton Police Chief Stephen Jones.
Police found the boy standing by the bank of the Rockaway River. Officers observed footprints leading into the water, Carroll said. Responding officers also observed two bodies in the river, at the top of the waterfall that the river empties into.
Authorities reported that the bodies of the woman, in her 30s, and her son were recovered by the Boonton Swift Water rescue team. The two were pronounced dead at 6:37 and 6:38 p.m., respectively, authorities said.
The Boonton District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Police are investigating the incident collaboratively.
Authorities refused to identify the victims, pending notification of the family. The 6-year-old was taken into police custody immediately after the incident, authorities said.
Carroll said that, “obviously, it’s a very sad day when you have kids involved in something like this.”
The park is located in Uptown Boonton, near Essex Ave and West Main Street.
No further details were released Tuesday night and Mayor Richard J. Corcoran and Boonton Director of Public Safety Daniel DeGroot referred all questions about the incident to the prosecutor’s office.