Hoboken Mourns Another Tragedy On The Waterfront

Hoboken, NJ – As the Hoboken community mourns for 24-year-old Matthew Genovese, who was found dead in the Hudson River on Tuesday, a question lingers among the tragedy: Is there something exceptionally dangerous about safety conditions around the Hoboken waterfront?

Genovese’s tragic death was reported on Tuesday after a citywide search. He was last seen leaving McSwiggan’s Pub between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. on the night of Saturday, Jan. 23, Hoboken police said.

Despite blizzard conditions that dumped around two feet of snow in the area, Genovese had told his friends he was walking home. It was a brief, ten-minute walk that he had done before, according to police.

During a press conference on Tuesday evening, police said that they found Genovese’s keys and wallet near Pier A Park, and that no foul play was suspected.

• See related article: Missing Hoboken Man Found Dead: Last Seen Leaving Bar During Blizzard

However, Genovese’s death isn’t the only recent tragedy to take place along the Hudson River waterfront.

On Christmas Day, emergency responders recovered the body of Anthony Urena, 23, of Manhattan, NY, a student at Lehman College, in the Hudson River.

New York City police said Urena was last seen leaving a Manhattan night club around 5 a.m. on Nov. 14, according to ABC NY.

In 2014, the body of 27-year-old Andrew Jarzyk was found in the Hudson River near Lackawanna Terminal.

Jarzyk went missing and was last seen jogging along the waterfront at about 2 a.m. that morning, authorities stated.

SAFETY MEASURES ALONG THE WATERFRONT

About a month before Genovese’s passing, Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante discussed recent efforts that police and the city have taken to increase safety around the waterfront.

After Andrew Jarzyk’s death in 2014, the city took several precautionary measures, Ferrante told the Hudson Reporter. Measures included installing orange signs on the waterfront that warn visitors about the river’s powerful currents, and placing special rescue bags with 75 feet of rope in the area.

In addition, the Hoboken Police Department’s Waterfront Parks Unit expanded patrols along the city’s 1.3 miles of waterfront from 16 hours to 24 hours a day in December, Ferrante told the Hudson Reporter.

Have an idea about how to increase safety conditions around the Hoboken waterfront? Share it in the comments section below.

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