Electricity Not Factor In East Brunswick Pool Deaths: Prosecutor

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The three members of the same family who were found dead in an East Brunswick pool on Monday did not know how to swim, the Middlesex County prosecutor announced Wednesday.

There is no evidence that electrical issues with the above-ground pool caused their deaths, despite previous speculation that may have been the case, said acting county Prosecutor Chris Kuberiet and East Brunswick Police Chief Frank LoSacco.

Instead, officials believe the deceased did not know how to swim and that they drowned.

Bharat Patel, 62, his 33-year old daughter-in-law, Nisha Patel, and her 8-year-old daughter, unnamed, all died in the pool shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, one of the first sweltering hot days of the summer.

"Although the investigation is active, it was determined that electricity did not play a part in the death of these three victims," said Kuberiet and LoSacco in a joint statement.

The above-ground pool was mostly shallow, at 3½ feet deep, but there was a portion of the pool that was 7 feet deep, said the county prosecutor.

All three lived at the home on Clearview Road, according to the prosecutor.

It was a neighbor who called 911 when she heard screaming coming from the backyard, ABC 7 reported. She at first thought someone had fallen into the pool. Other family members were inside the house at the time, according to the report.

East Brunswick police responded to the Clearview Road home at approximately 4:18 p.m. and found the three victims unresponsive in the pool; they were pronounced dead shortly afterward.

An electrician was called to the scene on Monday, leading to widespread internet speculation that the three family members were electrocuted. But after the autopsy — which can take several days — was completed, the Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner determined drowning to be the cause of death for all three victims.

Initial Patch report: East Brunswick Pool Victims Identified; Cause Not Yet Revealed (June 22, 2020)