Photo:Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty
Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty
A swim with friends ended in tragedy after the body of Jose Madera Martinez was found in the Delaware River on Sunday.
The college sophomore, 19, went missing after he and three of his friends were attempting to swim from the shoreline to the bridge abutments on Thursday night,the National Park Servicesaid in a press release. Madera Martinez reportedly struggled in the water before going under in a section of the river that is “particularly swift.”
Although Madera Martinez’s friends were not injured in the incident, the NPS added in their report that none of the swimmers were wearing a life jacket.
James Hicks/National Park Service
“The Delaware River may look calm in many areas but under the surface, there are strong currents, steep drop-offs, sudden changes in depth, and underwater obstacles and hazards. Wearing a properly fitted and fastened life jacket is the number one thing that one can do to stay safe around the river,” the release stated.
US Park Ranger and Search and Rescue Team leader Dustin Gunderson called Madera Martinez’s death a “tragic incident” and expressed his condolences to his family and friends.
“While our crews always hold out hope for a rescue during these incidents, it is also important (for) 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,” he shared in a statement, according to the release.
Madera Martinez was a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University who was studying computer science, according toNews 12 New Jersey.
Jose Class, Madera Martinez’s best friend, remembered him as someone who “loved to enjoy himself,” he told the outlet.
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“He loved to enjoy himself because he always thought you’ve got to live it up because you don’t know when something is going to happen,” he said.
source: people.com
