Woman, 11-year-old boy found dead in N.J. river, authorities say – NJ.com

A woman and an 11-year-old boy were found dead Tuesday evening in the river in a Boonton park, authorities said.

At 5:39 p.m., a passerby called 911 and told police a 6-year-old child was shouting for her mother in Grace Lord Park, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Acting Prosecutor Robert Carroll, and Boonton Police Captain Stephen Jones said at a joint press conference at the park Tuesday.

When police arrived, they found the child standing by the bank of the Rockaway River, saw footprints leading down to the water and saw two bodies in the top of the waterfall that the river flows into, Carroll said.

Two bodies were recovered, a woman in her mid-thirties and a child, identified as 11-year-old male, police said. They were pronounced dead at 6:37 and 6:38 p.m., respectively, authorities said.

The prosecutor’s office, sheriff’s office, and Boonton police are investigating the incident. Authorities declined to confirm the relationships between the woman and children, and did not identify anyone involved.

Carroll said it was, “obviously a very sad day when you have children involved in something like this.”

The park is located in Uptown Boonton near Essex Ave and West Main Street, and investigators had police tape cordoning off an area of the park near a lighted a gazebo.

No other details were released Tuesday night and Mayor Richard J. Corcoran and Boonton Public Safety Director Daniel DeGroot referred all questions about the incident to the prosecutor’s office.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.