Lifeguard Lied During Probe Of Brothers' Drowning In North Jersey School Pool: Officials

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A woman who was working as a lifeguard at a pool in Bayonne when two brothers drowned has been charged with lying to investigators, prosecutors said.

Ashley Danback, 37, of Toms River was arrested Friday and charged with one count of false swearing, said the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Monday.

Chu Ming Zheng, 19, and Jack Jiang, 16, died the night of June 8, 2022 after they were pulled from the Lincoln Community School pool.

Reports said that Zheng was a recent Bayonne High School graduate, and his brother was a junior at the school. The boys' 11-year-old sister was present at the time, as well.

Because three life guards were on duty, residents began asking how the drownings could have occurred, and the family filed a lawsuit.

Bayonne Superintendent of Schools John J. Niesz told the public at the time that local police and the district were investigating. READ MORE: After 2 Brothers Drown In Hudson County Pool, Investigation And Fundraiser Ensue

Danback was one of three lifeguards who were working at the pool during what was billed as an open swim session at the Lincoln Community School pool, according to a mediation statement in a lawsuit filed by the boys' family and published by the Hudson County View.

The document says the brothers were still learning how to swim and were in a 4-foot-deep area of the pool that suddenly drops off to 13 feet. They wound up in the 13-foot-deep portion and eventually drowned, the statement says.

The lifeguards told investigators they were in the pool area at the time the two brothers needed to be rescued, but surveillance video showed Danback was in the lobby on the phone and showed no urgency to rush back and help when the brothers were under water, said the statement published by Hudson County View.

Danback was covering the front lobby area because another lifeguard had called out unable to work, according to the statement.

According to the mediation statement, Danback told police two days after the drownings that she had only left the pool deck to go to the bathroom and was in the lobby area because the bathrooms closest to the deck were occupied. She also told police one of the lifeguards had told the brothers to get out of the area near the 13 feet of water, that it was closed.

Danback was charged on a summons and released, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said.

"The [false] statements were made after the investigation began and did not contribute to the deaths of the males," prosecutors said Monday.

On a GoFundMe page for the family, organizer Eliass Nid-Youssef — who identified himself as Zheng's best friend — wrote, "On June 8, 2022 we all lost two brothers who are very dear to us and hold a special place in our hearts and forever will."

He added, "Many of us loved these two boys and they both loved us. The memories we have of them will never be enough to match the energy that they brought into a room and the way they lit up a room every time they entered one."

In a report in NJ.com last year, the attorney for the family cited a pattern of lies and indifference, after reviewing footage of the drowning.

In fall 2025, the family accepted a $26 million settlement in connection with the drowning.

Experts have said that cities need to open pools and offer affordable swim lessons so children in urban areas won’t grow up without learning swimming and water safety. Read more about that here.