5 Dead In Somerset County Following Ida's Historic Storm

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — The community is mourning the five tragic lives lost as a result of floodwaters from Tropical Storm Ida last week.

In Bridgewater, three people were killed and two in Hillsborough, according to Somerset County Spokesman Nathan Rudy.

On Sept. 1 during the storm, Hongxia Li of Bridgewater and Ping Fang of Somerville, drowned in the rising waters of Peter's Brook at Somerset Corporate Blvd near the Route 22 intersection, said Bridgewater Police Chief Paul Payne.

Li and Fang were trying to get of their vehicle after it became disabled by the rising waters when they were swept away by floodwaters, said Payne.

Bridgewater Township Police Officers and Green Knoll Firefighters had gone out during the height of the storm to try and do a rescue. Li and Fang were later found dead on Sept. 2 by
Bridgewater police and the Somerset County Search and Rescue Team after the waters had receded, said Payne.

The third Bridgewater victim was Malathi Kanche of Raritan Borough, who was last seen in the rising water in the area of Route 22, east of the Bridgewater Chevrolet car dealership on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Read More: Missing Woman From Bridgewater Flood Found Dead

A family member and friend, who was in the same car as Kanche, reported her missing after the Middle Brook river overcame their vehicle, said Payne.

Police searched the area when they arrived but were unsuccessful in finding Kanche. The search continued and included Bridgewater Police, Somerset County Search and Rescue, New Jersey State Police Helicopter, as well as a search and rescue K9 Unit, said Payne.

The search ended on Friday when authorities found her body in the Middle Brook river in Bound Brook.

A Bridgewater resident Suzie Hanna had also died during the storm but not in Somerset County. She was in Raritan Township in Hunterdon County at the time, said Payne.

Hanna had just celebrated her 30th birthday last weekend. A GoFundMe fundraising site has been set up for her family.

"The Hanna family has lived, worked, and gone to school in our community for many years. Their loss is felt by so many of us. I am a friend of the family looking to help ease the burden of funeral expenses during this very difficult time," said Caroline Fryzel.

To donate to help the Hanna family with funeral expenses click here.

In Hillsborough, the Hillsborough Police Department responded to multiple water rescues of residents whose vehicles became disabled in quickly rising floodwaters.

Once waters began to recede, two vehicles in separate locations were found with the drivers found dead inside, said Hillsborough Police Corporal Jack Howard.

Cheryl Talke, 61, of Belle Mead, was found in a car at Route 206 near the Montgomery border. Daphnee Francisca Lopez Del Bono, 30, a resident of Santiago Chile, who lived in Ringoes was found in a car on Amwell Road near North Willow, according to Howard. Read More: 4 Killed In Hillsborough, Bridgewater During Ida Flooding

Lopez Del Bono was one the people believed to originally be missing.

During the night of the storm on Sept. 1, Somerset County first responders fielded 13,000 calls, of those 5,000 were 911 calls. The county also reported 520 air and water rescues from vehicles or homes, 170 fire alarms, 8 explosions, and countless automobile accidents and injuries, according to Robinson.

Included in those calls were explosions to homes in Somerville and Manville and an explosion to a restaurant in Manville.

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