July 30, 2024
Manchester Township, NJ- A visit to a popular privately-owned 7000-acre tract of land in Manchester on Monday evening ended tragically for a 18-year-old Perth Amboy Township man, Victor Arias- Peralta, who unlawfully visited the Heritage Mineral property and attempted to swim in the lake with other individuals around 6:00 p.m. Arias- Peralta and a friend were attempting to cross Crystal Lake when Arias- Peralta appeared to suffer from severe fatigue and went into distress approximately twenty yards from the shoreline. Friends went to the aid of Arias- Peralta who eventually submerged underwater and disappeared in the current.
The Manchester Township Police Department, with the assistance of the Manchester Township EMS, the Manchester, Ridgeway, Whiting Volunteer Fire Departments, and the New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit responded to the scene were search and rescue operations were conducted for approximately forty-five minutes before Arias- Peralta was located unresponsive. He was pulled from the water where he was pronounced deceased. The preliminary investigation indicates the drowning to be accidental.
Assisting with this investigation is the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit and the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office. Anyone who may have been at “Crystal Lake” and witnessed this incident is asked to contact Detective Victoria Guarino of the Manchester Township Police Department’s Investigations Bureau at 732-657-2009 ext. 4201.
The Manchester Township Police Department would like to remind the public that the Heritage Minerals or “ASARCO” site is private property. It is closed for recreational and/or other use and it is a criminal offense to enter or remain on the property. In the interest of public safety, the Manchester Township Police urges everyone to obey the “No Trespassing” signs posted at the site. Trespassers are subject to substantial fines and penalties up to and including incarceration for being on the property.
Whiting Fire Company Station 33 reported:
July 29, 2024 At approxamately 6:53 p.m. Stations 33, 32, and 34 were dispatched to Heritage Minerals (ASARCO) for a reported submersion. Ridgeway Chief 3400 was the first on location and confirmed the last known location of the submerged individual. Special Operations Unit 3317, Utility 3337, Brush 3339, and Brush 3329 responded to the scene. Whiting Fire divers and surface swimmers entered the water along with 3220. A brief grid search with a search line was performed and the individual was located/surfaced and transferred to EMS. The scene was subsequently turned over to MPD and the OCSD for investigation purposes.
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