Heritage Minerals Lake In Manchester Claims Another Victim

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Cliffside Park man drowned Sunday while swimming in the lake at the Heritage Minerals site, Manchester police said.

Jimy Sadan Gomez-Estrada, 22, was pulled from the water by a passerby after he and another swimmer went into distress while swimming about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Manchester Capt. Vincent Manco said.

The second swimmer, who was not identified, was rescued by another passerby who tried but could not reach Gomez-Estrada, Manco said.

Manco said lifesaving measures were attempted on Gomez-Estrada and he was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead. The preliminary investigation indicates the drowning to be accidental, Manco said.

The death is the most recent at the 7,000-acre 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.

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, even accomplished ones, tire much faster, Manco said.

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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. Read more: Man Drowns In Heritage Minerals Lake: Manchester Police

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

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.

The land was mined so deeply that numerous bodies of water, often referred to as lakes, formed at the site, Manco said.

Because it is private property, it is closed for recreational and/or 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, Manco said.

Assisting with this investigation is the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit and the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Anyone who may have been at Crystal Lake and witnessed this incident is asked to contact Detective Richard Conklin of the Manchester Township Police Department’s Investigations Bureau at 732-657-2009, ext. 4211.

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