Father Of 2 Drowns In North Jersey Lake As Tragic Trend Continues

A 23-year-old man drowned this weekend in a New Jersey lake, continuing a tragic trend of at least 11 swimming deaths in the state this summer.

Rashad Milfort of Lauderhill, Florida, was identified as the man who drowned in Lake Conway in Vernon around 11 a.m. on Friday morning, the New Jersey Herald reported.

Anna Turetskaya, Milfort's sister, said Milfort was the father of two young children, and she told the publication the family was spending time at their vacation home. His wife, 1-year-old son Roel and 7-year-old daughter Kaydence were also swimming in the lake at the time.

She told the publication that there were no lifeguards at the beach, which appears to be the common thread in nearly all the drowning deaths that have happened in New Jersey over the past month.

A fundraising page has been started to bring Milfort's body back to Florida, raising more than $2,000. His sister used the page to urge the state to be more aware of the tragic trend.

"There needs to be change made because this is getting too common and the state of New Jersey needs to do something about it," she wrote.

At least 11 have died at New Jersey beaches and pools since June, and those who work to protect the lives of minors have come forward to offer tips on how to prevent more tragedies from happening in the water.

Read more: 10 Die While Swimming In NJ In Just One Month

Firefighters pulled Milfort from the lake after he began screaming and administered CPR before transporting Milfort to St. Anthony's Hospital in Warwick, New York, according to the report.

"My 1-year-old nephew found his wallet this morning," Turetskaya told the publication. "He held it up and said, ‘Daddy?' with a big smile on his face. He just looked at me. I know he doesn't understand, and I don't know what to say because the rest of us don't understand either. Nothing about this feels real."

"Things happened so fast," she added. "One minute, the kids were splashing around by the shore and my brother was swimming a little farther out. Everything was fine. All of a sudden, he started screaming and thrashing his arms. He was panicked. He wasn't that far out, but he couldn't keep his head above the water. We still don't really know what happened."

"Today my brother lost his life while on vacation with his family," she said on the GoFundMe page. "He unfortunately drowned to his death in front of his wife, father in law and 2 children that were trying to save him.

"This has been a very traumatic time for us and trying to cope with the loss and how we are going to get by in the days to come. Our biggest goal is to have him fly back to our home state Florida. If you please can donate even a $1 for funeral arrangements and savings for his kids I would appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."

Photo: GoFundMe