Body of missing 10-year-old girl recovered from Passaic River after days-long search
A 10-year-old girl's body was recovered on Friday from the Passaic River, days after she and a boy were swept away.
PASSAIC, New Jersey (WABC) -- A 10-year-old girl who had been missing since Wednesday night was found dead Friday near the Market Street Bridge, ending a three-day search along the Passaic River.
Crews had spent days searching a 9-mile stretch of the river after the girl disappeared in the water alongside two other children.
A 10-year-old boy was found dead Wednesday night. Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said the boy's 11-year-old sister told him her brother helped push her toward rocks, allowing her to climb to safety.
Search crews returned to the river each day, using boats, divers and sonar equipment as they looked for the missing girl. Rising water levels complicated recovery efforts, officials said.
On Friday, a couple looking out their apartment window noticed what looked like a child's body bobbing in the river.
"I want to thank that couple. Some people would have seen something odd and went back into their apartment. These two heroes decided to act on even the remote chance it was something. They came running down," said Mayor Lora.
Investigators believe the three children, who are from Garfield, were playing near a boat ramp along the riverbank when they entered the water.
A man nearby jumped into the river in an attempt to rescue them, but officials said the current was too strong and the water was unusually high following heavy rainfall earlier in the week, preventing him from reaching the children.
The principal of Garfield Middle School said the school already teaches water safety and will step up those efforts.
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