Jose Madera Martinez was with three friends when they attempted to swim from the shoreline to the pillars of a bridge in the middle of the river. Martinez struggled against strong currents and disappeared.
The body of a teen who went missing while attempting to swim in the Delaware River in New Jersey was found on day three of the search for him.
The National Park Service (NPS) released a statement Sunday saying that search crews found the body of 19-year-old Jose Madera Martinez.
Witnesses told the NPS that the college freshman, along with three of his friends, had attempted to swim from the shoreline to the pillars of a bridge in the middle of the river, according to a press release from NPS.
While attempting to make the swim, Madera Martinez began to struggle against the strong currents in the area and then disappeared under the water, the release said.
Two of the friends made it to the pillars and were later rescued and brought back to shore and the third friend was able to safely swim back, the statement said.
Search crews looked for the missing teen by foot and by boat but due to dangerous water levels in the river, divers could not be utilized, NPS said.
On the third day of the search, the college freshman was finally located in about 12 feet of water a mile from where he was last seen alive, NPS said.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of this young man following this tragic incident,” U.S. Park Ranger and Search and Rescue Team leader Dustin Gunderson said. “While our crews always hold out hope for a rescue during these incidents, it is also important to search teams to be able to bring the bodies of deceased loved ones back to their families as [quickly] as possible. We are glad that we could do that today.”
People close to Madera Martinez told News 12 that he was the life of the party, an affectionate older brother, a caring son, and someone that lived his life to the fullest.
“[I’m going to mostly miss] his energy and how he would always bring the energy up. And if you were ever in a bad mood he will help you get better,” his cousin Oljaris Vasquez told News 12.
Madera Martinez’s mother was in the Dominican Republic during the tragic incident and was not allowed to travel due to a surgery she underwent, News 12 reported. The teen's remains will be taken to the Dominican Republic on Saturday, the news site said.
