The child, identified by friends and loved ones as Kayla Matos of Newark, was visiting two children in Toms River when the incident occurred around 8 p.m.
An 11-year-old girl has died after being electrocuted while playing with friends in a lagoon behind a New Jersey home, officials said.
The child, identified by friends and loved ones as Kayla Matos of Newark, was visiting two children in Toms River when the incident occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday.
The three girls were playing with an inflatable raft and swimming in the lagoon behind the home when two of the girls touched the rail to a metal boat lift and an electric current appeared to have energized the equipment, causing the injury, Toms River police said.
The other girls were not injured.
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Emergency responders performed CPR and used an Automated External Defibrillator on the little girl before rushing her to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where she died later that evening, cops said.
Kayla’s death hit the community hard, as those close to the little girl and those who heard word of the devastating loss were left trying to come to terms with the tragic incident.
“Still in disbelief!! A mother’s worst nightmare and yet so close to home,” one woman wrote on Facebook. “Keep smiling from heaven and give your family the strength they need to go through this. Because everyone on Earth will truly miss you!”
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A GoFundMe page created in Kayla’s honor described the little girl as sweet and angelic.
“She was, and continues to be, extremely loved by her family, friends, and school. She touched lives of so many,” read the page, which as of Monday had raised $190 of its $10,000 goal.
The children had been wearing lifejackets and were under adult supervision when Kayla was electrocuted, authorities said.
Toms River Police are investigating the incident.
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