Howell Man Drowns While Swimming In Heritage Minerals Lake

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Howell Township man drowned Saturday morning while swimming in Crystal Lake at the Heritage Minerals site in Manchester, police said.

According to Manchester police, 33-year-old Edwin Toro-Mejia and several others unlawfully entered the private, 7,000-acre quarry around 9:30 a.m. to go swimming in Crystal Lake. Police said as Toro-Mejia attempted to swim across the lake, he suffered a muscle cramp in his leg about 30 yards from shore.

Police said family members tried to aid Toro-Mejia, who eventually disappeared underwater.

Manchester police and several other agencies responded to the quarry to conduct search and rescue operations. Toro-Mejia's body was found approximately an hour and a half later. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said it appeared Toro-Mejia died of accidental drowning.

The death is the most recent at the Heritage Minerals site, which is privately owned and marked with "No Trespassing" signs. Police have repeatedly warned people to stay away from the property because the lakes — which resulted when mining at the site reached groundwater aquifers — are dangerous. The water is mineral-laden from the aquifers, extremely cold, and the sandy shoreline around the lakes is very unstable and soft, police said.

Some of the lakes drop off to 60-foot depths not far from the shoreline. Crystal Lake, the largest on the site, is estimated to be 300 feet deep. Because the water coming from the groundwater aquifers is so much colder than typical lake water, swimmers tire much faster.

A Plainfield man drowned at Crystal Lake in July 2020 and dive teams were brought in to retrieve his body because the mineral-fed water reduces buoyancy, making it more difficult for people to float.

There have been several other drownings at the site, including a 17-year-old Manchester student who died in 2015 and a 22-year-old man who died in 2021.

The property, which fronts on part of Route 37 and partly on Route 70, is a former mining site that was first operated by ASARCO (American Smelting and Refining Company) and later operated by Heritage Minerals until mining operations stopped in the early 1980s.

Because it is private property, it is closed for recreational and other use and it is a criminal offense to enter or remain on the property. In the interest of public safety, the Manchester Township Police urges everyone to obey the "No Trespassing" signs posted at the site.

Trespassers are subject to hefty fines and penalties, up to and including incarceration, for being on the property, police said.

The drowning remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Det. Richard Jupinka of the Manchester Township Police Department’s Investigations Bureau at 732-657-2009, ext. 4206.