East Brunswick Pool Victims Identified; Cause Not Yet Revealed

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — A man in his sixties, his daughter-in-law in her thirties and her 8-year-old daughter have been identified as the three people who died in what appears to be a tragic pool accident in East Brunswick Monday afternoon.

The victims have been identified as the 62-year-old man, Bharat Patel, his daughter-in-law, Nisha Patel, 33, and her 8-year-old daughter.

All three live at the home on Clearview Road, according to the Middlesex County prosecutor.

However, the Middlesex County prosecutor still did not release a cause of death as of Tuesday afternoon.

Police were called to the above-ground pool behind the home at 4:18 p.m. Monday, a sweltering hot day. All three people were found unresponsive in the pool when police got there.

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.

All three were pronounced dead shortly after being found.

Multiple reports also say an electrical contractor was called to the scene and sources say there may have been an electrical issue at the pool. But that has not been confirmed by the county prosecutor.

The Middlesex County prosecutor's office has taken over the investigation and investigators were on the scene at Clearview Road until the late hours of the night Monday.

The cause of death will be determined after an autopsy is done by the Middlesex County Regional Medical Examiner.

"This is a devastating day for our entire community. It is too early to determine exactly what happened. We are working with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office and will release information as it develops," said East Brunswick Police Chief Frank LoSacco.