UPDATE: 24-year-old man found dead after reported drowning at Tilcon Lake in Morris County
MOUNT OLIVE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Morris County) — A 24-year-old man who fell into Tilcon Lake while paddleboarding Saturday evening was found dead in the lake Sunday morning, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities received a report of a possible drowning at approximately 8 p.m. Aug. 15 at Tilcon Lake, which is located off Kinney Road.
According to the prosecutor’s office, a group of adults had been paddleboarding on the lake when the 24-year-old man fell into the water. Others in the group were unable to rescue him and called for help.
The prosecutor’s office said paddleboarding is not permitted on Tilcon Lake.
Authorities searched for the man Saturday night and Sunday. The victim was located deceased at approximately 11 a.m. Sunday and subsequently recovered from the lake, according to the prosecutor’s office.
An examination by the medical examiner will be conducted. Authorities said there is no suspected foul play at this time.
The response included the New Jersey State Police, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Olive Police Department, New Jersey Park Police, Budd Lake Fire Department, Flanders Fire Department, Parsippany Rescue and Recovery, Rockaway Township Fire Department, Roxbury Fire Department No. 2, Morris County fire coordinators, Morris County Communications Center and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit.
Tilcon Lake is an 88-acre lake in the Mount Olive Township portion of Allamuchy Mountain State Park. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the lake was created after severe flooding in the early 2000s caused the Musconetcong River to breach its banks and inundate a former quarry. The NJDEP says the lake reaches a depth of approximately 50 feet at its deepest point.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit through the Morris County Communications Center at 973-285-2900.
